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Illustrated Per Volume $1.50 Any volume sold separately 


YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD 


First Series. 

I. OUTWARD BOUND ; or, Young America Afloat 

II. SHAMROCK AND THISTLE ; or, Young America 
in Ireland and Scotland. 

III. RED CROSS ; or, Young America in England and 

Wales. 

IV. DIKES AND DITCHES; or, Young America in 

Holland and Belgium. 

V PALACE AND COTTAGE ; or, Young America in 
France and Switzerland. 

VI. DOWN THE RHINE ; or, Young America in Ger- 
many. 


Second Series. 

I. UP THE BALTIC ; or, Young America in Norway, 
Sweden, and Denmark. 

II. NORTHERN LANDS; or, Young America in Russia 
and Prussia. 

III. CROSS AND CRESCENT ; or, Young America in 

Turkey and Greece. 

IV. SUNNY SHORES ; or, Young America in Italy an* 

Austria. 

V. VINE AND OLIVE, or, Young America in Spain 
and Portugal. 

tfL ISLES OF THE SEA; or, Young America Home 
ward Bound. 

Sold uu all booksellers, and sent by mail, postpaid, on receipt of price 

LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston 






























































A Squall in tmk German Ocean. — Page 36 






o 










DIKES AND DITCHES; 


OR, 

YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND 
AND BELGIUM. 


A Story of Travel and Adventure. 


OLIVER OPTIC. 

2 Of**™* 



!> 0^ f 

f NOV 84 V 

BOSTON * 

LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 


PZi 
, A a, a. 
EL 

3 


Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1SC>8, by 
WILLIAM T. ADAMS, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts 


Copyright, 1896, by William T. Adams. 
All rights reserved. 


DIKES AND DITCHES, 


-IS. 


C" 

TO 

r* 

Pn Jrlloto- lounger iit the steamship fersia 

* 

DURING A PLEASANT TRIP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC, 

IN 1865, 

STEPHEN S. HOE , 


WHOSE NAME EVER REMINDS ME OF MY PERSONAL INDEBTEDNESS 
FOR MUCH OF THE PLEASURE OF THE VOYAGE*, NOT ONLY 
TO MJ' YOUNG FRIEND WHOSE NAME I MENTION HERE, 

BUT ALSO TO HIM WHO SAT OPPOSITE TO US AT 
TABLE, WHOSE NAME, ASSOCIATED WITH 
ONE OF THE PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS 
OF AMERICAN INVENTIVE GENIUS, 

I NEED NOT MENTION, FOR 
NO WORD OF MINE 
COULD HONOR 
IT, 

THIS VOLUME 


IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED- 


s 


t 




PREFACE. 


Dikes and Ditches, the fourth of the “ Young America 
Abroad” series, is a continuation of the history of the Acad- 
emy Ship and her consort in the waters of Holland and Bel- 
gium. As in its predecessors, those parts of the book which 
lie within the domain of history and fact are intended to be 
entirely reliable; and great care has been used to make them 
so. The author finds his notes so copious, and his recollec- 
tions of the Low Countries so full of interest, that he has felt 
obliged to devote a considerable portion of the work to the 
geography and history of the country, and to the manners 
and customs of the people ; but there is so much that is novel 
in the region itself, and so much that is stirring and even 
“sensational” in the history of the sturdy patriots of Hol- 
land, that he hopes his young friends will not complain of 
the proportion in which he has mingled his material. It 
would be a very great happiness to him to have excited a 
sufficient degree of interest in these countries to induce the 
boys and girls to read Mr. Motley's inimitable works, “The 
Rise of the Dutch Republic,” and “The History of the United 
Netherlands.” The writer is confident that young people will 
find these volumes quite as attractive as the story books of 
the day. 


i 


( 5 ) 


6 


PREFACE, 


Dikes and Ditches has its independent story of the ad- 
ventures of the students. Though the Academy Squadron 
has thus far bsen remarkably fortunate in the character of 
its instructors. Professor Hamblin proves to be an exception, 
and the crews of the ship and her consort are unhappily 
plunged into sundry disciplinary tribulations by his over- 
strained dignity, and by his want of discretion. The young 
commander of the Josephine suiters from the evils of a divided 
authority, which brings him into conflict with the senior in- 
structor before experience suggests the remedy. While the 
principal is compelled to punish the students for their mis- 
conduct in “hazing” the obnoxious professor, he also finds 
it necessary to abate the nuisance of a conceited, overbearing, 
and tyrannical pedagogue. Boys cannot be expected to be 
angels in school, until their instructors have soared to this 
sublime height. ♦ 

The author of the series, more than ever encouraged by 
the hearty and generous favor of his readers, submits this 
volume to their consideration, trusting that they will at least 
appreciate his earnest efforts not only to please, but to in- 
struct them. 

Harrison Square, Mass., 

April 9, 1868. 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

l . 

The Professor and the Captain. . 

. I I 

II. 

A SquALL in the German Ocean. . 

• 27 

III. 

Something about Dikes 

• 43 

IV. 

Up the Scheldt to Flushing. 

• .S 9 

V. 

Captain Schjmmelpennink. 

• 7 r > 

VI. 

Professor Hamblin changes his Mind. 

• 93 

VII. 

The Lecture on Belgium. 

1 10 

VIII. 

Antwerp and Rubens 

. 1 - 9 

IX. 

Trouble on Board the Josephine. 

146 

X. 

Who was Captain of the Josephine. . 

. 162 

XI. 

On the Way to Ghent 

• U 9 

XII. 

In Belgium’s Capital. .... 

• 19S 

XIII. 

Three Cheers for the King of Belgium. 

• 213 

XIV. 

The Vice- Principal 

. 230 

XV. 

The Professor’s Charge. 

• 245 


8 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 


Captain Kendall’s Defence. 

More about the Dikes and Ditches. 

An Excursion among the Dikes. 

A Run through Holland 

Adieu to Holland and Professor Hamblin 


PACK 

262 

278 

293 

3 IQ 

328 


DIKES AND DITCHES, 




DIKES AND DITCHES; 


OR, 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND 
BELGIUM. 


/ 


CHAPTER I. 


THE PROFESSOR AND THE CAPTAIN. 

HE Young America, with every rag of canvas 



set, including studding-sails alow and aloft, 


rolled and pitched gracefully on the long swells of 
the German Ocean. The wind was very light from 
the north-west, and there was hardly enough of it to 
give the ship steerage-way. A mile off, on her star- 
board bow, was the Josephine, beclouded in the quan- 
tity of sail she carried, but hardly leaving a wake in 
the blue waters behind her. The hummocks and the 
low land of the shores of Holland and Belgium were 
in sight; but, with the present breeze, there was but 
little hope of reaching the mouth of the Scheldt that 
night, though it was hardly twenty miles distant. 

The regular course of instruction was in progress 
in both vessels, the starboard watch of each being 
in the steerage, attending to their studies, while the 
port watch were on deck, in charge of the sailing 


12 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


department. Mr. Lowington paced the deck of the 
ship, and, with the habit of an old sailor, frequently 
cast his eyes aloft to see what sails were drawing. Oc- 
casionally, from a custom begotten of his solicitude for 
his charge, he glanced at the Josephine. 

The squadron did not make even a mile an hour ; 
and when the watch was changed, at four o’clock, 
there was not a breath of air to ruffle the glassy waves. 
The ship rolled and pitched on the swells, and the 
sails slapped against the masts and rigging under the 
effect of her motion. The young seamen on deck, 
without being in a hurry, were annoyed and vexed, as 
all sailors are in a calm. They partook of the heavi- 
ness of the scene, and gaped and yawned, from mere 
inactivity, and the want of something to occupy their 
minds. 

The calm was only the prelude of a lively scene. 
To the westward, beyond the low coast line dimly 
seen in the distance, was a dense mass of black clouds, 
rising rapidly towards the zenith. Low, muttering, 
muffled thunder came over the sea. The sun went 
into the inky veil ; and then the lightnings flashed, 
faintly at first, but glaring brighter and brighter as 
the darkness increased. 

Mr. Lowington still paced the deck ; but, instead of 
looking aloft now, he cast frequent glances at the offi- 
cer of the deck, who was watching the dense black 
clouds. The principal said nothing ; for, whatever 
views he had in regard to the working of the ship, it 
was his policy never to interfere until absolutely neces- 
sary. The officers were encouraged to do their own 
thinking, and were expected to take all necessary 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 3 

precautions for the safety of the ship at the right time. 
The second lieutenant was in charge of the deck, and 
as yet he had taken no step which indicated that he 
was conscious of any peril. 

“ Mr. Lavender,” said he, at last, when the princi- 
pal’s movements had begun to be a little nervous. 

The second midshipman, who was the third officer 
in rank on duty, stepped up to the lieutenant and 
touched his cap. 

“ Tell the captain there is a shower coming up, and 
that the clouds look squally,” added Mr. Ellis, the offi- 
cer of the deck. 

Lavender touched his cap, and went down into the 
steerage, where the captain was reciting his French 
lesson to Professor Badois. 

“ Excuse me,” said Captain Haven. “ I must go 
on deck, for I suppose Mr. Lowington wouldn’t give 
an order to take in sail if the masts were blown out 
of the ship.” 

The commander of the Young America went on 
deck in a hurry. He and all below had observed 
the sudden darkness which pervaded the steerage, and 
they were rather glad to have something stirring occur 
to break up the monotony of the calm. The captain 
looked at the black clouds, and promptly directed the 
officer of the deck to take in the studding-sails, which 
was done by the watch. 

The clouds wore that peculiar appearance which 
indicates wind — an aspect which the old sailor readily 
recognizes. Captain Haven was familiar enough with 
the weather signs to understand what was coming; 
but the young sailor is almost as much afraid of taking 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


M 

in sail too soon as of being too tardy in doing so. 
There is as much vanity in carrying sail as in wear- 
ing fine clothes. The captain did not wish to be too 
cautious, for that would cause a smile upon the faces 
of the ship’s crew. 

He looked at Mr. Lowington, who seemed to be 
perfectly satisfied, or rather his attention was directed 
entirely to the Josephine, which had not yet taken in 
her huge fore square-sail. Then he studied the threat- 
ening pile of black- clouds, which had now nearly 
reached the zenith ; while the thunder rattled, and 
the 1 ightnings flashed with blinding glare. 

“ Take in topgallant- sails and royals,” said Captain 
Haven to the officer of the deck, now satisfied that his 
reputation for carrying sail could not suffer in the face 
of such admonitory indications. 

Mr. Ellis called on the entire starboard watch to 
obey his orders ; for only a quarter watch was required 
to handle the ship under ordinary circumstances, the 
other portion of the watch being idlers on deck. The 
light sails were taken in ; and Mr. Lowington made 
no comment, as he sometimes did, after an evolution 
had been pertormed, in order to express his approval 
or otherwise of the action of the captain. 

The Josephine was most strangely deficient in cau- 
tion on the present occasion, and the principal was 
evidently much disturbed by the conduct of her cap- 
tain, who was usually very prudent, without being 
timid. There she was, with all her extra sail set 
and flapping in the calm, while a tempest was brew'- 
ing before her.. 

“ Captain Kendall must be asleep,” said Mr. Low- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 15 


ington, nervously, to Peaks, the adult boatswain of the 
ship. 

“ And the officers too,” replied the old salt, hitch- 
ing up his trousers. “ We Ought to fire a gun to 
wake them up.” 

“ It is not like Captain Kendall to be caught nap- 
ping when a squall is gathering,” added the principal. 

“ I should think the thunder would wake them up. 
It’s heavy for these parts. That squall will come all 
at once when it does come. It will take their sails 
right out of the bolt-ropes.” 

Mr. Lowington walked aft again, and on the quarter- 
deck met Flag-officer Gordon, who had also been ob- 
serving the Josephine, and wondering at her continued 
neglect of the most ordinary precautions. 

“ Mr. Lavender,” said the commander of the squad- 
ron. 

The midshipman, ever ready to do the meagre duties 
assigned to him, touched his cap to Captain Gordon.. 

“ Pass the word for the signal-officer,” added the 
flag-officer. 

“ That’s right, Captain Gordon ! ” exclaimed the 
principal. “ If the officers of the Josephine don’t do 
better than this, they must be broken. I am aston- 
ished.” 

“ So am I, sir. Captain Kendall is usually very 
careful, and what he don’t see isn’t worth seeing.” 

“ Be as expeditious as possible, for the squall will 
soon be upon us.” 

The signal-officer appeared with the midshipman 
and quartermaster in charge of the signals. Captain 
Gordon ordered the number, “ Take in sail,” to be set 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


l6 

Paul Kendall was severely' criticised on board of the 
ship; but, before he has suffered too much in the esti- 
mation of his sympathizing friends, let our readers 
he transferred to the steerage of the Josephine, in 
which, as the consort of the Academy Ship, the same 
rules and regulations prevailed. The port watch were 
at their studies, while the starboard watch had the 
deck, in charge of Mr. Terrill, the first lieutenant. 
This was the captain’s study time, for he was a mem- 
ber of the several classes, and in school hours was 
subject to the discipline of the professors, the same as 
other students. 

When the squall began to gather, Professor Hamblin 
was hearing the recitation in Greek. The learned gen- 
tljman did not think a scholar knew anything unless 
lie possessed a considerable, knowledge of Greek. It 
was his favorite branch, and the class in this lan- 
guage was his pet. lie was a -strict disciplinarian, and 
never allowed anything to interrupt the recitation in 
Greek if he could possibly avoid it. No scholar, not 
even the captain, as the regulations then w T ere, could 
leave the class without his permission. It is true, the 
rule had not been made, or even been considered, with 
special reference to the commander of the vessel ; but 
Paul had always quietly submitted to it, even at some 
inconvenience and sacrifice to himself. No emergencv 
had arisen, since the Josephine went into commission, 
which required the setting aside of the rule, and it 
was supposed the professors would have judgment 
enough to use it with proper discretion. 

Professor Hamblin, so far as Greek roots were con- 
cerned, was not lacking in judgment ; but he knew no 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 7 

more about a ship than Cleats, the boatswain, did 
about Greek. He was a very learned man, and lived 
in a Greek and Latin atmosphere. The dead lan- 
guages were the chief end of man to him. He was 
cold, stern, and precise, except that, when 'hearing a 
class in Greek, he warmed up a little, and became 
more human, especially if the students manifested a 
becoming interest in his favorite branch. 

Unfortunately for Paul Kendall, he was not an en- 
thusiastic devotee of the Greek language and literature. 
He lived too much in the present to be enamoured of 
anything so old, and, as it seemed to him, so compara- 
tively useless. But he was faithful in the discharge of 
all the academic requirements of the institution, not 
excepting even those branches which he disliked. 
Though he was always very respectful to Professor 
Hamblin, he was candid enough to say that he did 
not like Greek. He was, therefore, no favorite of the 
learned gentleman, who thought his abilities and his 
scholarship were over-estimated — because he did not 
like the dead languages. 

“ Mr. Terrill directs me to inform you that a squall 
is coming up,” said Ritchie, the third master, as 1 
touched his cap to Captain Kendall. 

“ No interruption ! No interruption ! ” interposed 
Professor Hamblin, very ill-naturedly. 

The third master touched his cap, as the captain 
bowed to. him in acknowledgment that he had heard 
the message, and then retired. The professor was 
vexed : perhaps he was a little more ill-natured than 
usual, on account of being slightly seasick — an effect 
produced by the uneasy roll of the vessel in the calm. 

2 * 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


KS 


“ Now, Mr. Kendall, go on with the dual of aifujv* 
added he, as Ritchie retired. 

“ I must beg you will excuse me, Professor Hamb* 
lin,” said Paul, with the utmost deference, as he rose 
from the bench on which he was seated. 

“ Go on with the dual ! ” replied the professor, 
sternly. 

Paul looked at the snapping gray eye of the learned 
gentleman, and was assured that he had a will of his 
own. As the captain of the Josephine, he did not 
wish to set an example of insubordination, which 
others might a ’opt before they were certain that the 
emergency required it. He had not seen the gather- 
ing clouds, and he had full confidence in the judgment 
and skill of Terrill, who was in charge of the deck. 
The rule was that the professors should be obeyed in 
study hours. This had always been the regulation on 
board the ship ; but, then, the principal, who was a 
sailor himself, was always # present to prevent any 
abuse of power. 

Paul decided to yield the point for a time, at least, 
and he recited his lessou as directed by the professor. 
Half an hour later, Ritchie appeared again, with 
another message from the first lieutenant, to the effect 
that the squall was almost upon them. This was 
about the time that Flag-officer Gordon had sent for 
the signal-officer, on board of the ship. 

“ You must excuse me now, Professor Hamblin, 
for I must go on deck,” said Paul, as respectfully as he 
could speak. 

“ I can’t spare you ; I haven’t finished the exercise 
yet,” replied Mr. Hamblin, sourly. “ This is a plan 


YOUNG AMERICA. IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 19 

to break up the lesson in Greek, because some of the 
young gentlemen don’t like to study it.” 

“ I beg your pardon, sir ; but the officer of the deck 
sends me word that the squall is upon us. You 
can hear the thunder and see the lightning,” added 
Paul. 

“ I am not afraid of thunder and lightning,” growled 
the professor. “ My classes are not to be broken up 
on any frivolous pretences. Mr. Lowington assured 
me I had full powers over all during study hours ; 
and I tell you to be seated, and go on with your reci- 
tation.” 

“ But the vessel is in danger, sir,” protested Paul. 

“ Pm not afraid, and you need not be. Take your 
seat, sir, or I will report you to the principal.” 

Paul’s face flushed. No officer or professor had be- 
fore ever threatened to report him to Mr. Lowington. 
Mr. Hamblin was as ignorant as a baby upon nautical 
matters, and while the Josephine rolled easily on the 
waves, and the sails flapped idly against the masts, he 
could imagine no peril. 

“ I am sorry to disobey your order, sir ; but in this 
instance I must,” said Paul, firmly ,_ though his voice 
trembled with emotion. 

“Very well, sir,” replied the professor, angrily, 
“ I shall report you to the principal, and if I have any 
influence with him, you will be removed from youi 
present position.” 

Paul did not wait to hear any more, but hastened on 
deck. His quick eye discovered the peril of the mo- 
ment. The squall was indeed upon them. At the 
peak of the Young America hung the signal which 


20 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OK 


ad been hoisted ; but it was not necessary to look in 
the book for its meaning. 

“ Mr. Terrill, call all hands — quick ! ” said Captain 
Kendall, in sharp tones. 

“ All hands on deck, ahoy 1 ” roared the boatswain’s 
mate, as he piped his shrill whistle at the main hatch. 

The students flew from their seats at the mess- 
table, deserting the two professors without an apology. 
With only two exceptions, the officers and crew of the 
Josephine were all old sailors. Most of them had 
been on board the ship for two years, and a sudden 
squall was no new thing to them. They leaped into 
their stations, and when the orders were given they 
knew exactly what to do. 

“ Stand by sheets and halyards ! ” shouted the first 
lieutenant. “ Man the jib, and flying jib halyards, and 
downhauls ! ” 

“ All ready forward, sir,” reported the second lieu- 
tenant, whose place was on the forecastle. 

“ Man the topgallant clewlines and buntlines ! ” con- 
tinued Terrill. 

“ All ready, sir 1 ” 

“ Ease oft' the sheets ! Settle away the halyards ! 
Clew up ! Lay aloft, and furl topgallant-sail ! ” 

The topgallant men sprang up the rigging like so 
many cats, for all hands had been thoroughly waked 
up by the impending peril. 

“ Let go the flying jib halyard ! Haul down ! Lay 
out and stow the flying jib ! ” 

“ Man the topsail clewlines and buntlines ! ” 

“All ready, sir,” replied the second lieutenant. 

“ Let go the topsail sheets ! Clew up 1 Settle away 
the halyaids 1 Haul taut the braces ! ” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 2i 


All this was done in half the time it takes to read 
it; and the light sails of the Josephine were furled. 
The main gaff-topsail was taken in, and then the 
schooner had only her jib, foresail, and mainsail. It 
was not necessary to take these in until the peril be- 
came more imminent; but Paul ordered the foresail 
to be lowered, and reefed, for the vessel was supposed 
to lie to best under this sail. The Young America 
had furled everything except her topsails, jib, and 
spanker. 

Professor Hamblin had not yet recovered from his 
astonishment, and he was as indignant as a learned 
Greek scholar could be. Professor Stoute and him- 
self were the only persons left in the steerage ; but 
while the former laughed, the latter stormed. 

“ I have been insulted, Mr. Stoute,” said the learned 
gentleman. “ That boy has disobeyed me, as though 
I were a person of no consequence.” 

“ Why, he was perfectly respectful to you,” laughed 
the good-natured professor. “ You must remember 
that he is the captain of the ship, and that everything 
depends upon him.” 

“ He left the class contrary to my orders ; and not 
satisfied with that, he calls all the rest of the students 
on deck,” added Mr. Hamblin, wrathfully. “ I had 
not finished the Greek lesson.” 

“ But there’s a squall coming up,” pleaded Mi 
Stoute. 

“ What if there was a squall coming up. The prin- 
cipal assured me there were hands enough on deck to 
work the vessel under all ordinary circumstances.” 

“ But you don’t understand the matter, Mr. Hamb- 
lin,” continued the jolly professor. 


22 


dikes and ditches, or 


“ Do you maan to insult me too, Mr. Stoute?” de- 
manded the irate fountain-head of Greek literature. 

“ Certainly not ; I beg your pardon, Mr. Hamblin,” 
replied Mr. Stoute, laughing more heartily than be- 
fore. “ I do not profess to comprehend these nautical 
affairs ; but I presume it was necessary to call all 
hands, or the captain would not have done so.” 

“ It was not necessary. I am willing to take the 
responsibility of that assertion myself, and I shall re- 
port this disrespect and disobedience of the captain 
to Mr. Lowington. If he chooses to sustain the de- 
linquent in such gross misconduct, I will leave the 
vessel at the first port we enter.” 

“ Mr. Lowington will certainly do justice to both 
©f you.” 

“ Excuse me, Mr. Stoute ; he must do justice to me. 
I have been a schoolmaster and a professor in college 
all my lifetime, and I do not wish to have any one 
speak of settling a case between me and one of my 
pupils. There is only one side to such a question,” 
replied Mr. Hamblin, whose dignity was terribly dam- 
aged by the incident of the afternoon. 

“ Well, Mr. Hamblin, I wish to be respectful ; but 
I also mean to be candid. I feel compelled to say 
that I believe you are all wrong.” 

“ All wrong, sir ! ” 

“Yes, sir; all wrong. Look at the question for 
one moment.” 

“ I don’t wish to look at it. Between teacher and 
pupil there can be no issues of any kind. It is my 
place to command, my scholar’s to obey, in the school- 
room.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 2^ 

“Now, really, Mr. Hamblin,” continued the laugh- 
ing professor, rubbing his hands, as though he en- 
joyed the controversy, “ while I agree with you on the 
general principle, I must differ from you in its appli- 
cation to this particular case. Your pupil is the com- 
mander of the vessel. Our very lives depend upon 
his prudence and skill. It was necessary to take in 
sail.” 

“ Very well. Wasn’t half the crew on deck for that 
purpose?” interposed Mr. Hamblin. 

“ But who shall determine whether it is necessary 
or not to take in sail?” 

“ The officer who has the care of the vessel for the 
time being, of course. Then there are Mr. Cleats, 
and Mr. Gage, and the servants to help them reduce 
the sails, if needed. There is not the least necessity 
for disturbing the classes.” 

“ But no one except the captain can give the order 
to take in a single sail in the daytime. This vessel is 
under naval discipline, you are aware ; but I think you 
cannot have read the rules. Here they are,” added 
Mr. Stoute, taking the printed regulations of the ship 
from his pocket. “ Officer of the Deck. He is not 
to make or take in sail in the daytime, except in 
a squall, without directions from the captain ; but 
in the night he may take in sail, acquainting the 
captain with his reasons, which he must enter on 
the log.” 

“Well, this is a squall — isn’t it?” growled Mr. 
Hamblin. 

“ Perhaps it will be ; but it seems to me quite 
proper that the captain should go on deck when 


24 


D1K.ES and ditches, or 


there is any danger. For my part, I have some 
regard for my fat body, and I don't care about leaving 
it here at the bottom of the German Ocean,” chuckled 
Mr. Stoute ; and he always laughed with especial gusto 
when he had said anything which he thought was 
funny. “ The captain can leave any of my classes 
when he is sent for to look out for the vessel.” 

“ Mr. Stoute, this is a question of discipline ; and 
higher considerations than those of merely personal 
comfort and security should be brought to bear upon 
it. It would be impossible for me to impart to my 
pupils a knowledge - of that noblest language of the 
historic past, if they are to be permitted to leave the 
class when they choose to do so. I shall refer this 
matter to Mr. Lowington for his decision. He must 
suspend the captain, or he must suspend me. If I 
cannot control my scholars, I will not attempt to in- 
struct. It would be preposterous to do so. I shall 
take a boat, and go on board of the -ship at once, for 
this difficulty admits of no delay.” 

Professor Hamblin, in high dudgeon, took his hat, 
and went up the ladder. Mr. Stoute shook his fat 
sides, laughing at the ire of his distinguished and 
learned associate. He was desirous of seeing his 
companion start for the ship in the approaching tem- 
pest, and he followed him on deck. 

“ Captain Kendall,” said Mr. Hamblin, sternly, as 
he walked up to the young commander, heedless of 
the rattling thunder and the flashing lightning. 

Paul bowed politely, and looked at the professor, 
intimating that he was ready to hear him. It was 
noticeable that Mr. Hamblin always called the coin- 


VOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 25 


mander “ Mr. Kendall” when he was in the steerage 
attending to his studies, and “ Captain Kendall ” on 
deck, or in the cabin. The professor intended to in- 
dicate, by tiffs choice of terms, that he was captain 
during school hours. 

“ Captain Kendall, I desire a boat immediately,” 
added Mr. Hamblin. 

“ A boat ! ” exclaimed Paul, astonished at the re- 
quest at such a time. 

“ I said a boat, Captain Kendall. I purpose to refer 
the matter of your disobedience to Mr. Lowington 
without any unnecessary delay.” 

“ But, Mr. Hamblin, there is a squall coming up.” 

“ I am aware of that ; but I demand the boat.” 

“ It would be dangerous, sir. The boat would cer- 
tainly be swamped.” 

“ I will take the responsibility of that.” 

“ I should be very happy to furnish the boat, sir ; 
but I cannot expose a crew to such a storm as will 
soon break upon us,” replied Paul. 

“ You refuse — do you ? ” demanded the professor, 
angrily. 

“ I feel compelled to do so, sir.” 

“ In my hearing, Mr. Lowington instructed you to 
furnish the professors with a boat at any time when 
they desired it.” 

“ I will furnish the boat, sir ; but I will not expose 
the crew to such peril. I will hoist out the third cutter 
for you, sir, if you wish.” 

“ I demand a sufficient number of sailors to row the 
boat.” 

“ You will pardon me, sir; but I will not send any 

'i 

D 


26 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


seamen into a boat until the squall is over. It is 
unreasonable to ask such a thing.”. 

“ Unreasonable, sir ! How dare you tell me I am 
unreasonable?” stormed the professor, stamping his 
foot upon the deck. 

Paul bowed, but made no reply. He was placed in 
a very disagreeable and painful position. He knew 
that it was madness to send a boat oft' while the squall 
was impending. Mr. Hamblin was wrathy. The 
long billows were black and smooth, and the sails 
hung idly on the gaffs. There was no danger then, 
and the learned gentleman had been so fortunate as 
never to see any of the perils of the ocean. His pas- 
sage to England in the steamer had been a remarka- 
bly pleasant one. Nothing like a gale, or even a high 
wind, had interrupted its serenity, and the professor 
had imbibed a certain contempt for the perils of the 
ocean. He had never seen them ; and, if mere bovs 
were able to work such a vessel as the Josephine, a 
learned man like himself need not tremble in their 


presence. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 2^ 


CHAPTER II. 


A SQUALL IN THE GERMAN OCEAN. 



R. CLEATS ! ” said Professor Hamblin, in the 


1V1 most sternly solemn and impressive manner, as 
he rushed up to the adult boatswain of the Josephine 

“Here, sir!” responded the old salt, touching his 
cap as politely as though the learned gentleman had 
been an admiral. 

“ I want a boat, sir,” continued the professor, 
fiercely. 

“ Your honor must apply to the captain,” answered 
Cleats, touching his cap again. 

“ I have applied to him, and he has refused me. I 
desire you to take a boat, and row me to the ship. 
The carpenter can assist you.” 

“ Bless your honor’s heart, I can’t go without the 
captain’s orders,” added Cleats, opening his eyes as 
wide as though he had been invited to head a mutiny. 

“ I will protect you from any harm, Mr. Cleats. I 
will represent the matter to Mr. Lowington.” 

“ I never do anything, your honor, without orders 
from the captain. It would be mutiny for me to do 
so, and I should be hung at the fore yard-arm.” 

“ Nonsense, Mr. Cleats ! Will you listen to reason? ’’ 

“ Sartain, your honor. I always listen to reason; 


28 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


but there isn’t any reason in leaving the ship without 
the captain’s orders.” 

“ But the captain says I may have the boat; and I 
only want a couple of men to row it.” 

“ I will pull the boat with the greatest pleasure, sir, 
if the captain orders me to do so ; or the first lieu- 
tenant, for that matter, sir. I always obey orders, sir, 
if it sinks the ship.” 

“ I have a complaint to make against the captain 
for disobedience of my orders, and he will not permit 
me to go on board of the ship to prefer the charge.” 

“ Whew ! ” whistled the boatswain, as long and 
loud as though the sound had been made with his 
own shrill pipe. “A complaint against the captain! 
I beg your honor’s pardon, but that can’t be. Nobody 
can have a complaint against the captain.” 

“ I do not wish to argue the matter with you. Will 
you do what I ask, or not?” 

“ I beg your honor’s pardon, but 1 will not,” replied 
Cleats, who seemed to have no doubt in regard to his 
own course, whatever rupture there might be among 
the powers above him. 

“ That’s enough,” growled Mr. Hamblin, turning 
on his heel. 

“ There’s a big squall coming, your honor,” added 
Cleats, loud enough for the professor to hear him. 
“The boat wouldn’t live a minute in it.” 

“ I am not afraid of the squall,” replied the learned 
gentleman, pausing. “ Will you row the boat?” 

“ No, sir ; I would rather not,” answered Cleats, 
shaking his head. 

At this moment a heavy roaring, rushing sound 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 29 

came over the sea from the direction of the land. The 
water was covered with a dense white mist. The 
sound increased in volume till it vied with the boom- 
ing thunder, and the surface of the sea was lashed 
into a snowy foam by the coming tempest. 

“ Down with the jib and mainsail ! ” shouted Cap- 
tain Kendall, sharply. » 

“Stand by the mainsail halyards!” said Terrill, 
through his speaking trumpet. “Man the jib halyards 
and downhaul ! ” 

“ All ready, sir,” replied the second lieutenant, for- 
ward ; for all hands were still at their stations, in 
anticipation of the emergency. 

“All ready, sir,” added the fourth lieutenant, whose 
place was on the quarter-deck. 

“ Let go the mainsail halyards ! ” added the first 
lieutenant ; and the order was repeated by the fourth 
lieutenant. “ Down with it, lively ! ” 

The heavy sail, assisted by twenty pairs of willing 
and eager hands, rattled down in an instant, and was 
speedily secured. 

“ Let go the jib halyards ! Haul down ! ” said the 
second lieutenant, on the forecastle, when the order to 
take in the jib reached him. 

The hands “walked away” with the downhaul, 
and the jib was on the bowsprit in an instant. 

“ Lay out and stow the jib ! ” added the officer. 
“Mind your eye there! The squall is upon us!” 

The roar of the squall — heard at first miles away 
- — swept along over the ocean, carrying a tempest of 
foam and spray before it, and came down upon the 
Josephine. Though she carried no sail, the force of 
^ * 


30 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


the wind was enough to heel her down, while the 
spray leaped over her decks in the furious blast. The 
scene was grand and sublime. The thunders roared ; 
the lightnings seemed to hiss in their fury, as they 
darted through the moist atmosphere ; and the wind, 
hardly less than a hurricane, howled in unison with 
the booming thunderbolts. 

At first, on the long swells of the ocean, which a' 
moment before had been as smooth and glassy as a 
minor, thousands of little white-capped waves gath- 
ered, throwing up volumes of tine spray, which was 
borne away by the tempest; so that the air was laden 
with moisture. Though the squall came heavy in the 
beginning, it did not attain its full power for several 
minutes. The effect even of the onslaught of the tem- 
pest was tremendous, and officers and. crew clung to 
the rigging and the wood-work of the vessel, fearful 
that the savage blast would take them bodily from 
their feet, and bear them away into the angry ocean. 

“Down with the helm!” roared Captain Kendall 
to the quartermaster, who, with four of the strongest 
seamen, had been stationed at the wheel. 

The action of the fierce wind upon the vessel’s side 
was powerful enough to give her steerage-way with- 
out any sail, and her head came up to the gale, so that 
she took the blast on her port bow. Thus far, the 
effect upon the ocean did not correspond with the vio- 
lence of the tempest ; fo^^ven the severest blow does 
not immediately create a* heavy sea. But, if the tem- 
pest continued even for a few minutes, this result was 
sure to follow. There is no especial peril in a squall, 
if the seaman has had time to take in sail, unless in a 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 31 

heavy sea ; but it does not take long for a hurricane, 
in the open ocean, to stir up the water to its maddest 
fury. 

Professor Hamblin was walking up and down in 
the waist, — a very pretty tf pe of the squall itself, — 
when the initial stroke of the tempest came upon the 
Josephine. His “ stove-pipe ” hat, as non-nautical as 
anything could be, which he persisted in wearing, was 
tipped from his head, and borne over the rail into the 
sea. This accident did not improve his temper, and 
he was on the point of asking the captain to send a 
boat to pick up his lost tile, when the full force of the 
squall began to be expended upon the vessel. He 
found himself unable to stand up ; and he reeled to 
the mainmast, where Professor Stoute was already 
moored to the fife-rail. 

“ Wouldn’t you like the boat now, Mr. Hamblin? ” 
chuckled the jolly professor, hardly able to speak witlv 
out having his words blown down his throat. 

“ I’ve lost my hat,” growled the learned gentleman, 
almost choked with ill-nature within, and the ill-wind 
without. 

“Ask the captain to send a boat for it,” laughed 
Mr. Stoute. “ There he stands ! Upon my word, he 
is a wonder to me ! He handles the vessel like an 
old admiral who has been imbedded in salt for forty 
years ! ” 

“ Any boy could do it ! ” snarled the irate professor. 

“ It is fortunate that Captain Kendall went on deck 
when he did,” added Mr. Stoute. “ We should ah 
have gone to the bottom if they hadn’t taken in sail in 
season.” 

3 * 


3 3 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ You distress yourself with mighty bugbears,” 
sneered Mr. Hamblin. “ I am very sorry to see 
you encouraging insubordination among your pupils, 
and — ” 

And a blast more savage than any which had before 
struck the vessel ended the professor’s speech ; for, 
while it drenched him with salt water, it gave him all 
he wanted to do to hold on for his life. He worked 
himself round under the lee of the mainmast, and 
held on with both hands at the file-rail, his breath 
blown down into his lungs by the wind. 

The squall was not one of those which come and 
go in a few moments; and, in a short time, the sea 
had been lashed into a boiling, roaring, foam-capped 
maelstrom. The Josephine rolled and pitched most 
fearfully. Below there was a fierce crashing of every- 
thing movable, while the winds howled a savage 
storm-song through the swaying rigging. By the 
captain’s order, the crew had, with great difficulty, 
extended several life-lines across the deck, for the 
safety of those who were compelled to move about 
in executing the various manoeuvres which the emer- 
gency required. 

The angry professor began to cool off under the 
severe regimen of the tempest. He was drenched to 
the skin by the spray, and it required the utmost ac- 
tivity on his part to enable him to keep his hold upon 
the fife-rail. Now the vessel rolled, and pitched him 
upon his moorings; and then rolled again, jerking 
him, at arm’s length, away from them, his muscles 
cracking under the pressure. Professor Stoute, deter- 
mined to be on the safe side, had passed the end of 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 33 

the lee topgallant brace around his body, and secured 
himself to one of the belaying pins. Nothing ever 
disturbed his equanimity, and though he was doubt- 
less fully impressed by the sublimity of the storm, he 
was just as jolly and good-natured as ever. 

The captain and the executive officer were holding 
on at one of the life-lines on the quarter-deck. Paul 
looked as noble and commanding as though he had 
been a foot taller, with a full beard grown upon his 
face. He appeared to be master of the situation, and 
Professor Stoute regarded him with an admiration 
strongly in contrast with the disgust of his fellow- 
teacher. The competent captain of the ship is 
always little less than a miracle of a man to his pas- 
sengers, especially in a storm, when he is confident 
and self-reliant. They feel that everything — their 
very lives, and the lives of those they love — are de- 
pendent upon him, and they look up to him as to an 
oracle of skill and wisdom. 

“ It’s coming heavier and heavier,” said Terrill, as 
the Josephine gave a fearful lurch. 

“ Ay, ay ! It’s nothing less than a hurricane,” re- 
plied Paul. 

“ It’s the biggest squall I ever was in,” added Ter- 
rill, blowing the salt water out of his mouth, after a 
pint of spray had slapped him in the face. 

“ It is kicking up an awful sea.” 

“ That’s so.” 

“ Keep your helm hard down, Blair ! ” shouted 
Paul to the quartermaster in charge of the wheel. 

“ She don't mind it now, sir ! ” yelled the quarter- 
master, at the top of his lungs. 


34 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ She’s falling off, Mr. Terrill,” added Paul. 

“ I see she is, sir.” 

“ We must keep her head up to it, or our decks will 
be washed. Hard down, Blair ! ” 

“ She don’t mind it, sir ! ” 

“ Set the close-reefed foresail, Mr. Terrill,” said the 
captain. “ But be careful of the hands.” 

Terrill, with the trumpet in his hand, sprang from 
the life-line to the fife-rail, so as to be nearer to the 
hands who were to execute the captain’s order. The 
unpleasant plight of Mr. Hamblin attracted his atten- 
tion, in spite of the pressure of the emergency. His 
gyrations, as he bobbed about under the uneasy mo- 
tions of the vessel, gave him a ludicrous appearance, 
which even the positive expression of suffering on his 
face did not essentially mitigate. He had evidently 
come to a realizing sense of the perils of the sea, 
and was a pitiful sight to behold. 

“ Man the foresail outhaul ! ” shouted Terrill, 
through his trumpet. “ Mr. Martyn ! ” 

“ Here, sir ! ” replied the second lieutenant ; but 
his voice sounded like a whisper in the roar of the 
hurricane. 

“ Double the hands on the outhaul ! ” added Terrill. 
“ Stand by the brails ! ” 

“ All ready, forward, sir ! ” reported Martyn. 

“ Stand by the fore-sheets ! — Mr. Cleats ! ” contin- 
ued the executive officer. 

“ Here, sir ! ” said the old sailor, who, with the car- 
penter, was holding on at the weather-rail. 

“ Will you and Mr. Gage assist at the sheet?” 

“ Ay, ay, sir ! This is heavy work. I hope she’ll 
carry that foresail.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 35 


“ She must carry it, or carry it away,” added Ten 
rill. “ We are falling oft' badly.” 

“ So we are ; it ought to be done,” answered the 
boatswain, as he began to overhaul the sheets. 

It was with the greatest difficulty that any one could 
stand up on deck. The billows were momentarily in- 
creasing, and the Josephine had fallen off into the 
trough of the sea, and rolled helplessly in the surging 
waves, so that her fore yard appeared almost to dip in 
the brine. The outhaul was run out on the deck, and 
manned by all the hands that could get hold of it. 
The lee sheet was extended in like manner, and the 
whole after guard, besides the two adult forward offi- 
cers, were called to walk away with it. 

“ O, dear ! ” groaned Mr. Hamblin, after the vessel 
had given an unusually heavy lee lurch, the jerk of 
which had nearly knocked the breath out of his body. 

“ What’s the matter, your honor? ” demanded Cleats, 
who always pitied a landlubber in a gale. 

“Do you think there’s any danger, Mr. Cleats?” 
gasped the professor. 

“ Danger ! Bless your honor’s heart ! there’s never 
any danger in a good ship, well manned,” replied the 
veteran tar, as he knocked a kink out of the sheet. 
“ Look at the captain ! When he gets scared, you 
may.” 

“ It is really terrible ! ” puffed the learned professor. 

“ Wouldn’t your honor like the boat now? ” growled 
the boatswain, with a hearty chuckle. 

“ All ready at the sheets, sir ! ” screamed Robinson, 
the fourth lieutenant, who had charge of the waist at 
quarters. 


3 6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Hold on, Mr. Terrill ! ” shouted the captain, as the 
Josephine rolled on her lee side till the water bubbled 
up in her scuppers. “ Wait till I give you the word ! ” 

Paul was waiting for a favorable moment, when the 
blast should lull a little, to set the reefed foresail. 

“ You must get out of the way, gentlemen ! ” said 
Terrill, roaring out the words through his trumpet. 
“ The sheet blocks will knock you over ! ” 

Mr. Stoute unmoored himself, and made a dive at 
the life-line, where the captain was holding on ; but, 
being rather clumsy in his obesity, he missed his aim, 
and was thrown into tb ' scuppers. Mr. Cleats went 
to his assistance, and picked him up while he lay 
upon his back, with his legs and arms thrown up like 
a turtle trying to turn over. Mr. Hamblin was not 
encouraged by this experiment of his associate. 

“ Why don’t you go below, sir?” shouted Terrill, 
placing his trumpet close to the professor’s head. 

“ I can’t move,” replied he. 

“ Mr. Gage will help you,” added the lieutenant. 

The carpenter assisted Mr. Hamblin to the com- 
panion-way, while the boatswain had succeeded in 
rolling Mr. Stoute up to the same point. The doors 
were opened, and the head steward helped them down 
the ladder. 

“ All ready ! ” shouted Captain Kendall, when the 
favorable moment came for setting the foresail. 

“ Let go the brails ! ” bellowed the executive officer. 
“ Haul out ! ” 

The ready seaman promptly obeyed the order, at 
the instant when the vessel, having rolled over as far 
as her centre of gravity would permit her to go in the 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 37 


trough of the sea, was poised as it were on a balance, 
waiting for the recoil of the wave that was to throw 
her down on the weather roll. The close-reefed fore- 
sail flew out from the brails, and began to thresh tre- 
mendously in the fierce blast. 

“ Slack the weather vang ! ” continued Terrill to the 
hands who had been stationed at this rope. “ Walk 
away with the sheet ! ” 

It required a tremendous pull to haul home the 
sheet of the foresail, banging furiously in the tein- 
pest ; but there was force enough to accomplish it, 
though not till the vessel had made her weather roll, 
which lifted half the line of seamen from their feet. 
The close-reefed foresail was trimmed so as to lay the 
schooner to with her head up to the sea. The billows 
were increasing in volume so fearfully that it was no 
longer prudent to permit the vessel to roll in the 
trough of the sea, where she was in danger of being 
overwhelmed by the combing waves. 

“Mind your helm, Blair!” called the first lieuten- 
ant, springing aft to the wheel. “ Port a little ! Don’t 
let the sail be taken aback ! ” 

The head of the Josephine came up handsomely to 
the sea, and it was thus proved that the double-reefed 
foresail was just the sail for such an emergency. It 
was only to be demonstrated whether the sail would 
be blown out of the bolt-ropes or not. If it had been 
an old one, such would probably have been its fate ; 
but being nearly new, and of the best material, it 
stood the strain to the end. 

“Mind your eye, Blair!” roared Terrill. “Star- 
board ! ” 


4 


33 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Starboard, sir ! ” replied the quartermaster. 

“ Touch her up when it comes so heavy,” added 
the lieutenant. 

The vessel had fallen off', and took the wind so far 
on the beam that she buried her scuppers deep in the 
waves. The order to “ touch her up,” or luff her up 
into the wind, so as partially to spill the sail, was 
given to ease oft' the tremendous pressme. The Jose- 
phine minded her helm, and luffed so that she righted 
herself. 

“ Steady, Blair ! ” called the lieutenant. “ Port ! 
Not too much, or you’ll broach her to ! ” 

“ Sail ho ! ” suddenly shouted several of the seamen 
in the forward part of the vessel. 

“ Where away ? ” 

“ Right over the lee bow ! She has capsized ! ” 

Paul and Terrill ran to the rail, and discovered a 
small vessel, lying over on her beam ends. 

“ That’s a Dutch galiot ! ” exclaimed Cleats, who 
promptly recognized the craft. “ That’s a trick they 
have of turning bottom upwards.” 

“ Port ! ” shouted Terrill, who did not take his eye 
oft' the foresail of the Josephine for more than an 
instant at a time. 

The attention of the quartermaster and the helms- 
. man had been attracted bv the announcement of the 
wreck, and they had permitted the Josephine to luff 
up until the foresail began to shake. The atmosphere 
was so thick that the galiot was seen but for an instant, 
and it then disappeared in the dense mists. Captain 
Kendall trembled with emotion when he saw the dis- 
abled vessel ; but it was impossible to do anything for 
her until the hurricane subsided. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 39 

Fortunately the worst of it had already passed, and 
a few moments later it ceased almost as suddenly as it 
commenced. The rain began to fall in torrents, while 
a fresh breeze and a tremendous sea were all that re- 
mained of the hurricane — for such it was, rather than 
an ordinarv squall. 

“Set the jib and mainsail, Mr. Terrill,” said Cap- 
tain Kendall. “ We must endeavor to find that 
wreck.” 

These sails were accordingly hoisted, the Josephine 
came about, and stood off in the direction towards 
which the galiot was supposed to have drifted. The 
Young America had not been seen since the squall 
came up ; but Paid conjectured that she had run away 
before it. lie was deeply interested in the fate of 
those on board of the wreck, and trusted he should 
be able to render them some assistance, if all on board 
of her had not already perished. 

The rain poured down furiously ; but it did not 
dampen the enthusiasm of the young officers and 
crew, though they were already drenched to the skin. 
The reefed foresail was taken in, for it was found that 
the jib and mainsail were all the schooner needed. 
She stood on for an hour or more, without obtaining 
a sight of the wreck, though every eye on board was 
strained to catch the first glimpse of it. 

“ We must have passed her,” said the captain. 

“ It is so thick we can’t see her, even if we should 
go within half a mile of her.” 

“Come about, and stand a little more to the south- 
ward ! ” added Captain Kendall.” Let the fog-horns 
be blown. We may get a signal of some kind from 


40 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ I am afraid they were lost overboard ; and that 
there is no one left to make a signal,” answered Ter- 
rill, sadly. 

The vessel was put about, and headed as indicated 
by the captain. The fog-horns were blown at inter- 
vals, and every one on board listened eagerly for a 
reply. These efforts were not unavailing, for a re- 
sponse was obtained after the Josephine had run half 
an hour on her present course. A hoarse shout was 
heard on the weather beam, which was unmistakably 
a cry of distress. 

“ Steady as she is ! ” said Paul to the executive offi- 
cer, as soon as the sounds were reported to him, and 
the direction from which they came. 

“ Are you not going about, Captain Kendall ? ” 
asked Terrill, with a look of anxiety on his dripping 
face. 

“ Certainly ; but if we go about here, we should 
fall to leeward of the wreck,” replied Paul. 

The Josephine stood on for a few moments longer, 
and then tacked. 

“ Blow the horns, and keep a sharp lookout for- 
ward,” added the captain, who was quite as anxious 
as any other person on board ; but he kept apparently 
cool, in deference to the dignity of his high office. 

“ I see her ! ” shouted Wheeler, the boatswain, who 
had gone out on the flying jib-boom. 

“Where away is she?” demanded Martyn, from 
the forecastle. 

“ Well on the lee bow, sir.” 

“ Are we headed for her? ” 

“Ay, ay, sir! We shall go clear of her to wind 
ward.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 41 


“ Wreck on the lee bow, sir,” reported the second 
lieutenant to Terrill, who in turn reported to the 
captain. 

“ Clear away the first cutter, Mr. Terrill,” said 
Paul. 

“ All the first cutters, ahoy ! ” shouted the boat- 
swain’s mate. 

“ Mr. Pelham will have charge of the boat,” added 
Captain Kendall, who had great confidence in the 
zeal and ability of this officer. 

4i The wreck ! The wreck ! ” shouted all hands, as 
the disabled galiot came into view. 

On the rail of the vessel, whose starboard half was 
completely submerged in the water, were two men, 
making violent gestures, and shouting to the crew of 
the Josephine. Not a word they said could be under- 
stood, but it was easy enough for Yankees to guess the 
meaning of their words. The schooner was thrown 
up into the wind, the jib lowered, and she lay to under 
the mainsail. Pelham and the crew of the first cutter 
took their places in the boat, and were lowered into 
the stormy sea. The falls were cast off' the instant 
she struck the water; the coxswain gave his orders 
rapidly, and the cutter went off', rising and falling on 
the huge waves like a feather. 

The distance was short; but even this was a hard 
pull in such a violent sea. Pelham was cool and 
steady, and his self-possession encouraged the crew to 
their best efforts. The boat ran up under the lee of 
the wreck, and made fast to one of the masts. As 
soon as it was secured, both of the men on the rail 
began to jabber in an unintelligible language. 

4 * 


4 7 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Pari 'ez-vons Jrangais?” shouted Pelham, who 
had some knowledge of the polite language. 

But the men made no response ; and it was evident 
that no long speeches need be made on the present oc- 
casion. Pelham made signs to them to come down 
into the boat, which they did. They were not satis- 
lied, but continued to talk in their own language, and 
to point earnestly to the after part of the wreck. One 
of them repeated a word so many times, that the officer 
of the boat was enabled at last to separate it from the 
confused jumble of sentences. 

“ Vrozv?” said he. 

The man nodded earnestly, and pointed with re- 
doubled vigor to the after part of the galiot. 

Vrozv means wife ; and Pelham concluded that the 
skipper’s lady was in the # cabin, but whether dead or 
alive he did not know. 


OUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 43 


CHAPTER III. 

SOMETHING ABOUT DIKES. 

I T was evident to those on board of the Josephine 
that there was some reason for the delay of the 
boat in not bringing off' the survivors of the wreck. 
The energetic motions of the men on the disabled ves- 
sel could be dimly seen through the mist and rain. 

“ Hoist the jib, Terrill,” said Captain Kendall. 
“We will run up to the wreck, and ascertain what 
the trouble is.” 

“ Man the jib halyards ! Stand by the jib sheet ! ” 
added Terrill. 

“ All ready, sir ! ” 

“ Let go the downhaul ! Hoist away ! ” continued 
the first lieutenant. “ Port the helm ! ” 

The mainsail was trimmed, the jib sheet hauled 
down, and the schooner filled away again. She ran 
close under the lee of the galiot, just far enough off' 
to clear her masts. 

“What’s the matter, Mr. Pelham?” called Terrill 
through his trumpet. 

“ There’s a woman in the cabin,” replied Pelham. 
“Clear away the gig!” said Captain Kendall, as 
the Josephine passed out of hailing distance of the 
wreck. “Mr. Martyn will take charge of the boat.” 


44 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


The gig’s crew were piped away, and the falls were 
manned. The second lieutenant stood ready at the 
gangway to take his place in the boat. The operation 
of hoisting out a boat was not so difficult and danger- 
ous as it had been when the first cutter went off, for 
the sea was every moment abating its fury. 

“ Mr. Cleats and Mr. Gage will go in the boat with 
a couple of axes,” added the captain, who had been 
studying the position of the wreck. 

The first lieutenant gave the order to the adult for- 
ward officers, who presented themselves at the gang- 
way provided with their implements, ready to do the 
work assigned to them. By this time the weather 
had begun to clear off, and a streak of blue sky ap- 
peared in the west. The low land and the white cliffs 
and sand hills were seen again ; but the coast was 
different from that which they had observed before the 
tempest burst upon them. 

“ Mr. Marty n., you will cut away the masts of the 
wreck ; but first endeavor to save the woman in the 
cabin,” added the captain, when the crew of the boat 
had taken their places, and everything was in readi- 
ness to lower the boat. 

■“ I will do the best I can,” replied Martyn, as he 
stepped into the gig. 

“ If the galiot does not right when the masts are cut 
away, report to me.” 

The boat went off on her mission of mercy, and 
those left on board of the schooner watched her prog- 
ress with the most intense interest. All felt that they 
were not “ playing sailor ” then, but that the issues of 
life and death depended upon the exertions of the two 
boats’ crews. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 45 


“ Have you any idea where we are, Captain Ken- 
dall?*’ asked Terrill, gazing earnestly at the distant 
shore, which was now revealing itself with greater 
clearness. 

Paul took a spy-glass and carefully surveyed the 
shore. Terrill took another glass, and both of them 
went up into the main rigging, so as to obtain a better 
view of the shore. 

“ There are some church steeples near the coast, 
and farther back there is a great number of them,” 
said Terrill. 

“ All right,” replied Paul, as he returned to the 
deck, followed by the fvst lieutenant. 

“ Do you make out the coast?” asked the latter. 

“■Yes; we are on Thornton’s Ridge. Throw the 
lead ! ” replied Paul, with some anxiety, as he took 
the glass and pointed it in the direction opposite the 
shore. 

“ By the mark five ! ” reported the quartermaster, 
who was heaving the lead in the fore chains. 

“That proves it,” exclaimed Paul. “We are on 
Thornton’s. The steeples on the shore are Blanken- 
burg, and those farther off are the Bruges steeples. 
We are about .twelve miles to the eastward of the 
North Hinder, where there is a light-vessel. We have 
been drifting to the southward. We will tack now, 
and stand over to windward of the wreck.” 

The Josephine went about again, and stood up to 
the point indicated by the captain. The wind had 
now subsided to a gentle breeze, and the sea was 
abating its violence in a corresponding degree. The 
lead was thrown continually, but not less than three 


46 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


fathoms was indicated at any time. Cleats and Gage, 
with their sharp axes, were dealing heavy blows at the 
masts of the galiot, while the crew of the gig and first 
cutter Were clearing away the standing rigging. By 
the time the schooner reached the position to wind- 
ward of the wreck, the work had been accomplished. 
The two boats had backed away from the wreck, and 
suddenly the hull righted. A few more strokes of the 
axes severed the shrouds, which could not be reached 
while the vessel lay upon her side. 

Pelham, who was on the deck of the vessel when 
she righted, rushed to the companion-way, which had 
been submerged before. He was closely followed by 
the two men. The cabin was half full of water; but 
he found there a woman and a young girl of sixteen, 
who had been clinging for life to an upper berth. The 
gallant lieutenant plunged up to his middle in the 
water, and bore the girl to the ladder. At the same 
time, the older of the men performed a similar service 
for the woman. He was evidently the husband of the 
woman and the father of the girl. When he returned 
to the deck, he embraced the woman and the girl, and 
lavished upon them the most tender caresses. 

“ Mr. Pelham, you will convey the§e people to the 
Josephine, and report what has been done to the cap- 
tain,” said Martyn, who was the superior officer. 

The first cutter was hauled up to the gangway of 
the galiot, and Pelham by signs invited the family to 
embark. They comprehended his meaning, and the 
females were assisted into the boat. The older man, 
who was apparently the skipper of the vessel, exhibit- 
ed some reluctance at leaving his craft. His heart 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 47 


seemed to be broken by the calamity which had be- 
fallen him, and he wept bitterly, uttering piteous ex- 
clamations, which could not be understood by the 
Josephines, as Pelham hurried him into the cutter. 

The party continued their sad wailings till the boat 
reached the schooner. The women were assisted to 
the deck, where they stood staring with blank amaze- 
ment at the vessel and her crew. The skipper was 
bewildered by the misfortune that overshadowed him. 

“ I am glad to see you, sir,” said Paul, as the dis- 
consolate captain came up the accommodation ladder. 

“ No use, Captain Kendall,” said Pelham, smiling. 
“ They can’t speak a word of English.” 

“Do yon know anything about the vessel?” asked 
Paul. 

“ I read her name on the stern, as we came back, 
and wrote it down ; for a Yankee woidd choke to 
death in uttering it,” replied Pelham, as he produced 
a piece of wet paper. “It is the ‘Wei tevreeden, 
Dordrecht.’ ” 

“ That’s Dutch. She hails from Dort,” added Paul. 

“ Where are the professors? ” asked Terrill. “ Can 
they speak Dutch ? ” 

The professors, who had seen enough of rough 
weather for one day, had been making themselves as 
comfortable as possible in the cabin. The Dutchman 
and his family were conducted below by the first lieu- 
tenant. 

“ What have you here? ” demanded Mr. Stoute, 
who had just come from his berth, in which he had 
bolstered himself up, in order, as he expressed it, to 
know exactly where he was. 


4 s 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ We have just saved them from the wreck of a 
Dutch galiot. They can’t speak a word of English, 
and we wish you to talk to them.” 

In Dutch?” laughed Mr. Stoute. “I cannot 
do it.” 

“What is the matter, Mr. Terrill ? ” inquired Pro- 
fessor Hamblin, who had also taken to his berth to 
save his limbs from being broken. 

“ A vessel has been wrecked, and we have saved 
two men and two women. Can you talk Dutch?” 
asked the first lieutenant, going to the door of the 
professor’s state-room. 

Mr. Hamblin proved to be no wiser than his asso- 
ciate, so far as the Dutch language was concerned ; 
and it was found to be impossible to hold any com- 
munication with the wrecked persons except by signs. 
They were committed to the care of the steward, by 
whom everything was done to render them comfortable. 
The captain’s state-room was given to the women, and 
they were supplied with hot coffee and other refresh- 
ments. 

“ What is the condition of the wreck, Mr. Pelham?” 
asked Captain Kendall, as soon as the unfortunate 
persons had been provided for. 

“ She is half full of water,” replied the second mas- 
ter. “ The crew of the gig were pumping her out 
when we left.” 

“ Do you know anything about her cargo?” 

“ No, sir. Her hatches were battened down, and 
we could not see what was in the hold.” 

The first lieutenant was directed to detail a working 
party for the wreck, to assist in pumping her out. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 49 


and the first cutter returned to the galiot with sixteen 
hands. Orders were sent to Martyn to use every ex- 
ertion to save the vessel and her cargo. It was now 
nearly dark ; but the weather was favorable, and Paid 
hoped to get the dismasted galiot into port on the fol- 
lowing day. 

The cutter reached the wreck, and the crew of the 
gig, who had been pumping and baling diligently, 
were relieved by fresh hands. The work went on 
with renewed energy. The hatches had been taken 
off, and the cargo was found to consist of butter, 
cheese, and manufactured goods. The boatswain had 
explored the hold, and declared that the merchandise 
was not badly damaged. The galiot had taken in 
less water than was supposed, from her position on the 
waves. After four hours of severe toil by the young 
seamen, the pumps sucked. The hull was tight, and 
the working party were greatly encouraged by the 
success of their efforts. 

The boatswain and carpenter, assisted by the boys, 
rigged a jury-mast out of the foremast of the galiot, 
which had been saved for the purpose. A jib and 
foresail were bent upon it, and the “ Wei tevreeden ” 
was in condition to make a harbor. It was midnight 
when the work was completed, and the report sent to 
Captain Kendall. Martyn, Pelham, and a crew of 
ten, to be assisted by Cleats and Gage, were detailed 
to take the galiot into the Scheldt. 

During the first part of the night it had been a dead 
calm, which had greatly assisted the labors of the 
working party. About four o’clock, on the morning 
of Sunday, a light breeze from the westward sprang 

5 


5 ° 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


up, and the order was given by signal for the galiot to 
make sail, and to follow the Josephine. There was 
hardly a four-knot breeze, with the tide setting out ; 
and the progress of the galiot, under her short sail, 
was very slow. 

Nothing had been seen of the Young America since 
the storm shut down upon her and concealed her from 
the view of those on board of the Josephine. Paul 
knew that Mr. Lowington would be exceedingly anx- 
ious about him and his vessel ; but he was proud and 
happy in the reflection that he had carried the Jose- 
phine safely through the perils which had surrounded 
her. He had not closed his eyes during the night, as 
indeed no one connected with the sailing department 
of the schooner had done. The professors and the 
wrecked party had all turned in as usual, while Paul 
kept vigil on deck with the first lieutenant. 

“ Sail ho ! ” cried the lookout forward, about seven 
o’clock in the morning. 

A small vessel was discovered approaching the Jo- 
sephine from the direction of the shore, or rather of 
the mouth of the Scheldt, whose western estuary 
forms a broad bay about twelve miles in width. As 
the small craft came near, it was evident that she was 
a pilot boat. She carried a red flag at her mast-head", 
on which was a number in white figures. On her 
principal sail there was a large letter “ P,” and under 
it “ Antwerpen.” When she hove in sight, the jack 
was hoisted at the foremast-head of the Josephine, 
which is the signal for a pilot. As the little cutter 
rounded to, the words “ Bateau Pilote ,” with her 
number, were seen on the stern. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 5 1 

She was a Belgian pilot-boat. The mouth of the 
Scheldt, and its course for forty miles, are in Holland, 
and off the vnouth of the river both Dutch and Bel- 
gian pilots offer their services to inward-bound ves- 
sels ; but the sea pilots take vessels only to Flushing, 
the river pilotage being a separate charge. Mr. Low- 
ington had instructed Paul, as the squadron was bound 
to Antwerp, to prefer a Belgian pilot, who would take 
the vessel up to that city, and charge the pilotage in 
one bill. 

A canoe put off from the “ Bateau Pilote,” and a 
weather-beaten Belgian sailor leaped upon the deck. 
He opened his eyes very wide when he had taken a 
single glance at the vessel and her crew. He seemed 
to be as much confounded as the Liverpool pilot had 
been on a similar occasion. The professors were at 
breakfast in the cabin, and not a single man appeared 
on deck. 

“ L? Amcrique?” said the pilot, glancing at the flag 
which floated at the peak. 

“ Oui ,” replied Paul, laughing. 

“ Oh est le capitaine , monsieur? ” added the pilot, 
looking around him again. 

“ Je suis capitaine ,” replied Paul. 

“ Est-il possible ! ” 

“ O est possible. You speak English ? — parlez-vous 
anglais ?” added Paul. 

“ I speak un pere ,” replied the pilot. “ What ves- 
sel that is? ” he continued, pointing to the galiot, which 
was following in the wake of the Josephine. 

“ She is a Dutch vessel, that was upset yesterday. 
We saved her The captain vmd his family are on 


52 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


board, but none of us have been able to speak a word 
to him.” 

“ Where bound are you?” 

“ To Antwerp. We have a crew on board of the 
galiot. We will not attempt to take her to Antwerp.” 

“ She have taken a pilot,” said the Belgian, as an- 
other man from the “Bateau Pilote” boarded her. 

“ She shall be taken to Flushing.” 

“ You will put into Flushing, then, so that I can ob- 
tain the men on board of her.” 

“ I will — yes.” 

“Did a ship — the Young America — go up the 
river last night?” asked Paul. 

“No; no ship. We see a ship off the Rubs when 
the storm came. She come about, and go to sea be- 
fore the wind.” 

This was what Paul supposed the Young America 
had done. He had no fears in regard to the safety of 
the ship as long as she had plenty of sea room. She 
would soon return, and the pilot-boat would be able 
to report the Josephine to the anxious people on board 
of her. The Belgian pilot took charge of the vessel ; ' 
and after he had headed her towards the channel by 
which he intended to enter the river, he began to ask 
questions in regard to the juvenile officers and crew. 
He did not speak English any more fluently than Paul 
did French, and they did not get along very well. 
Mr. Stoute, having finished his breakfast, came on 
deck. He taught the French in the Josephine, and 
was very happy to find an opportunity to air his vo- 
cabulary. 

'he skipper of the galiot came up from the cabin 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 53 


soon after with his family. As the pilot spoke Dutch, 
the story of the unfortunate captain was obtained : 
last. The vessel had been caught in the squall, and 
knocked down. Two men on deck had been washed 
away and drowned. The companion-way being open, 
the water had rushed in and prevented the vessel from 
righting. The women, who lived on board all the 
time, as is frequently the case with the families of 
Dutch skippers, had climbed up and obtained a hold 
upon the berths on the port side of the cabin. By 
these means they were saved from drowning; but the 
cabin doors, being on the starboard side, were under 
water, so that they could not escape while the vessel 
lay on her beam-ends. 

The Josephine, followed by the “ Wei tevreeden,” 
entered the river. It was a beautiful day, warm and 
pleasant ; and the officers and crew, in spite of the 
hardships of the preceding night, were eager to obtain 
their first view of the new country whose waters they 
were now entering. It was still over sixty miles, by 
the course of the Scheldt, to Antwerp ; but the sights 
on the river and on the shore were novel and interest- 
ing. The vessels which sailed up and down the river 
were essentially different from any they had ever seen, 
with the exception, perhaps, of the wrecked galiot. 
They looked more like huge canal-boats than sea-going 
vessels. Some of them had wings, or boards, at their 
sides, which were let down when the craft was going 
on the wind, thus serving the same purpose as a centre- 
board. Others were rigged so that their masts could 
be lowered to the deck in passing bridges. 

Maps, guide-books, and other volumes of reference 

5 * 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


64 

were in great demand among the students, and Pro- 
fessor Stoute was continually questioned by all hands. 
Mr. Hamblin was too grouty to permit any such fa- 
miliarity, and doubtless he was saved from exposing 
his ignorance of the interesting country which the 
voyagers had now entered. 

The West Scheldt, upon whose waters the Jose- 
phine was now sailing, is sometimes called the Hond. 
On the left, and in plain sight from the deck, was 
Walcheren, the most extensive of the nine islands 
which constitute the province of Zealand, the most 
southern and western division of the kingdom of 
Holland. Zeeland, or Zealand, means sea-land ; and 
its territory seems to belong to the ocean, since it is 
onty by the most persevering care that the sea is pre- 
vented from making a conquest of it. These islands 
are for the most part surrounded and divided by the 
several mouths of the Scheldt, all of which are navi- 
gable. 

Our readers who have been on the sea-shore where 
the coast is washed by the broad ocean, or any con- 
siderable bay, have observed a ridge of sand, gravel, 
or stones thrown up from ten to twenty feet higher 
than the land behind. This was caused by tbe action 
of the sea. The exterior shore of Holland, that is, 
the land bordering upon the open ocean, has generally 
a ridge of sand of this description. The sand-hills or 
hummocks which are observed on the shores of Hol- 
land and Belgium are produced by the ceaseless beat- 
ing of the stormy waves. 

In Holland, these ridges, or chains of sand-hills, are 
called “ dunes.” They extend, with little interruption, 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 55 

from the Straits of Dover to the Zuyder Zee. The 
ridge is from one to three miles wide, and rising from 
twenty to fifty feet in height. The sand of which the 
“ dunes ” are composed is generally so fine that it is 
readily blown by a sharp wind ; and they were as 
troublesome as the sands of Sahara in a simoom. In 
a dry and windy day, the atmosphere would become 
dim from the sand smoke of the dunes, and the mate- 
rial was conveyed in this manner far into the interior 
of the country, covering up the rich soil, so that it 
became necessary to dig up the sand. To overcome 
this evil, a kind of coarse reed grass is annually sown 
on the dunes, which forms a tough sod, and prevents 
the sand from being blown away. 

The dunes form a natural barrier to the progress of 
the sea ; but these, of themselves, are insufficient to 
accomplish the purpose ; for in the highest tides the 
waters sweep through the openings or valleys between 
the sand-hills. Immense dikes and sea-walls are erect- 
ed to complete the security of the country from the 
invasions of the ocean. The embankments which 
protect the islands of Zealand are over three hundred 
miles in length in the aggregate, and involve an an- 
nual expense of two millions of guilders — more than 
eight hundred thousand dollars — in repairs. 

“ The great dike of West Kappel is there,” said the 
pilot to Captain Kendall, as he pointed to the land on 
the northern shore of the estuary. 

“ I don’t see anything,” replied Paul. 

“ There is nothing particular to see on this side of 
the dike,” interposed Professor Stoute, laughing at the 
astonishment of the captain. ‘ l What did you expect 
to see?” 


56 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ I hardly know. I have heard so much about tho 
dikes of Holland, that I expected to see a big thing 
when I came across one of them,” added Paul. 

“They are a big thing; but really there is very 
little to see.” 

“ But what is a dike, sir?” asked Paul, curiously. 
“ I never supposed it was anything more than a mud 
wall.” 

“ It is nothing more than that, only it is on a very 
large scale, and it must be constructed with the nicest 
care ; for the lives and property of the people depend 
upon its security. When they are going to build a 
dike, the first consideration, as in putting up a heavy 
building, is the foundation. I suppose you have seen 
a railroad built through a marsh, or other soft place.” 

“Yes, sir; the railroad at Brockway went over the 
head of the bay, where the bottom was very soft. As 
fast as they put in gravel for the road, the mud squashed 
up on each side, making a ridge almost as high as the 
road itself. They built a heavy stone wharf at Brock- 
way, the year before we sailed, and the weight of it 
lifted up the bottom of the shallow bay a hundred feet 
from it, so that boats get aground there now at half 
tide.” 

“ That is the idea exactly. The foundation is not 
solid ; and that is often the chief difficulty in building 
a dike. The immense weight of the material of which 
it is constructed crowds the earth out from under it, 
and it sinks down faster than they can build it. In 
such places as this they find it necessary to drive piles, 
to build the embankment on.” 

“ They must cost a heap of money, then.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 57 


“ The annual expense even for repairs of dikes in 
Holland is about three millions of dollars of our 
money. Speaking of that very dike of West Kappel,” 
added the professor, pointing to its long, inclined es- 
carpment, “ it is said if it had been originally built 
of solid copper, the prime cost would have been less 
than the amount which has since been expended upon 
it in building, rebuilding, restoring, and repairing it. 
But the money spent on dikes is the salvation of Hol- 
land. The entire country would be washed away in 
a few years, if they were suffered to decay.” 

“ I see there are trees growing on the shore, farther 
up the river,” added Paul. 

“ Those trees are willows; and wherever it is pos- 
sible for them to thrive, they encourage their growth 
for two reasons : first, because the roots of the trees 
strengthen the dike ; and, secondly, because the willow 
twigs are wanted in repairing and securing the em- 
bankment. The foundations of sea-dikes vary from 
a hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty feet in 
width. The rampart is made of clay, which, as being 
impervious to water, forms the entire structure when 
the material is available in sufficient quantities. The 
maximum height of the dikes is forty feet ; but of 
course they vary in this respect with the elevation of 
the land to be protected by them.” 

“ But I should think the mud and clay would be 
washed away by the beating of the sea.” 

“ So they are sometimes ; and to guard against such 
an eveftt, which is a calamity in this country, the dike 
is covered with a kind of thatch-work of willow twigs, 
which has to be renewed every three or four years. 


58 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


Occasionally the outer surface of the embankment is 
faced with masonry, the stone for which has to be 
brought from Norway.” 

“A ship there is coming in,” interrupted the pilot, 
pointing to seaward. 

She was several miles distant, standing in under all 
sail. She was examined with the spy-glasses, and 
every one was rejoiced to learn that it was the Young 
America. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 59 


CHAPTER IV. 

UP THE SCHELDT TO FLUSHING. 

I AM very glad to see the ship again,” said Paul to 
Professor Stoute. 

“ I supposed she would get in before us, we were 
detained so long by the wreck,” replied Mr. Stoute. 

Probably she stood otf and on during the night, 
seeking for us,” added Paul, as he again looked 
through the spy-glass at the ship. “ She seems to 
be sound in all her upper works, so far as I can see.” 

“ I dare say the ship would be safe enough as long 
as Mr. Lowington and Mr. Fluxion are on board of 
her.” 

“ Yes, sir ; I didn’t suppose any harm had come 
to her ; but Mr. Lowington will naturally be very 
anxious about us. He has made us out by this time, 
and is satisfied that we are still on the top of the 
water. There are the steeples of a town,” said 
Paul, pointing to the Walcheren shore. “ That must 
be Middleburg.” 

“ This island was inundated in 1808,” continued Mr. 
Stoute, after the pilot had assured him that the steeples 
seen in the interior of the island were those of Mid- 
dleburg. “ Though the sea is as diligently watched 
as the advance-guard of an invading army, the great 


6o 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


(like of West Kappel broke through, and a large 
part of the island was under water. Middleburg has 
its own dikes and ditches, the former constituting the 
wall of the town, upon the top of which there is a 
public promenade. This dike or mound kept the 
water out of the city after the sea-dike had given 
way. The inundation rose as high as the roofs of 
the houses in the town, but was fortunately kept at 
bay by the strength oi the walls.” 

“ Were you ever in Holland, Mr. Stoute? - ” asked 
Paul, with a significant smile. 

“ Never,” laughed the professor ; “ but the school- 
master must not be abroad when boys ask as many 
questions as the students on board of this vessel. As 
soon as I learned that we were coming to Holland, I 
read up everything I could find relating to the country, 
and I assure you my interest in the country has been 
doubled by my studies. We have in our library quite 
a collection of works relating more or less directly to 
Holland. The New American Encyclopaedia contains 
very full and reliable articles on the subject. We have 
a full list of Murray’s Hand-Books, which form a 
library in themselves, and which impart the most 
minute information. Indeed, half the books of travel- 
which are written are based upon Murray’s invaluable 
works. Then we have Motley’s History of the Dutch 
Republic, and the two volumes of his United Neth- 
erlands which have been published. My knowledge 
of Holland and Belgium comes mainly from these 
works.” 

“ I haven’t had time to look up these matters yet. 
1 have given considerable extra time to my French. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 6 \ 


As soon as we are moored, I suppose Mr. Mapps will 
give us his lecture on the country ; and I intend to 
make that the basis of my reading.” 

“ Then I will not say anything more about the 
dikes,” laughed Mr. Stoute. “You can do the mat- 
ter up more systematically by your intended course.” 

“ I am very glad to get all I can without the trouble 
of hunting it up,” replied Paul, as he glanced again at 
the Young America. “ I may have more time than I 
want to study up these subjects.” 

“Why so?” 

“ I suppose I am to be court-martialed for disobe- 
dience as soon as Mr. Lowington arrives,” replied 
Paul, fixing his eyes upon the deck. “ Mr. Hamblin 
has not spoken to me since I left the class yesterday 
afternoon.” 

“ It is not proper for me to say anything about that 
to you, Captain Kendall,” added Mr. Stoute. 

“ I feel that I have tried to do my duty ; and, what- 
ever happens to me, I shall endeavor to be satisfied.” 

Professor Stoute walked away, apparently to avoid 
any further conversation on the disagreeable subject. 
Paul did not feel quite easy about the difficulty which 
had occurred between him and the dignified professor. 
He had hoped and expected that the storm would jus- 
tify his action in the opinion of the learned gentleman ; 
but Mr. Hamblin carefully avoided him, and he was 
confident he intended to prefer charges against him as 
soon as the principal arrived. 

The Josephine was now entering the port of Flush- 
ing. The pilot was talking with the Dutch skipper 
very earnestly, and occasionally glancing at the 
6 


62 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Wei tevreeden.” The latter seemed to be very un- 
easy, and to manifest a great deal of solicitude in 
regard to his vessel, notwithstanding she w r as safe, 
though the cargo had been damaged, and she had lost 
her masts and part of her standing rigging. 

“ Captain Schimmelpennink to you wish to talk,” 
said the pilot, stepping up to Paul. 

“Who?” exclaimed Paul, almost stunned by the 
sound of the Dutchman’s name. 

The pilot repeated it, but not much more to the edi- 
fication of the young commander than before. 

“ I can’t talk Dutch,” laughed Paul. 

“ I for you will speak the English,” added the Bel- 
gian. # 

This was hardly more encouraging than the Dutch 
of the disconsolate skipper ; but Paul consented to the 
conference. 

“ The galiot to you belongs for the labor you have 
to save him,” continued the pilot. 

With some difficulty, with the assistance of Mr. 
Stoute, who, however, was not familiar with French 
nautical terms, Paul learned that Captain Schimmel- 
pennink was much disturbed about the ultimate dis- 
posal of the “ Wei tevreeden.” According to maritime 
law, recognized by all countries, the captain, officers, 
and crew of the Josephine were entitled to salvage 
for savihg the vessel. As, without assistance, it was 
probable that the galiot would have been totally lost, 
the salvors would be entitled to the greater part of the 
value of the wreck when it should be sold. One half, 
two thirds, or even three fourths, is sometimes award- 
ed to those who save a vessel, the proportion depending 
upon the condition of the wreck. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 63 

It appeared that the captain of the galiot was much 
distressed on this account. He declared that he was 
a poor man ; that his vessel was all the property he 
had in the world; that one of the men lost overboard 
in the squall was his own brother, and the other his 
wife’s brother ; and misery had suddenly come upon 
him in an avalanche. By the exertions of Martyn and 
others from the Josephine, a portion of the sails and 
standing rigging of the galiot had been saved, so that 
only about one fourth of the value of the vessel had 
been sacrificed by the tempest. But now the skip- 
per was in great trouble because two thirds or three 
fourths of the remaining value of his property was to 
be decreed to the salvors by a maritime court. 

Paul did not feel that it would be right for him to 
settle, or even discuss, this question, and he referred 
the skipper to Mr. Lowington, assuring him that he 
was a fair man, and would deal kindly with him. 
But this did not satisfy the unfortunate man. It was 
bad enough to lose one fourth of his property, — for 
the vessel was not insured, — without having the 
greater part of the remainder wrested from him by 
a court. 

“ All hands, moor ship, ahoy ! ” shouted the boat- 
swain, when the schooner was approaching one of the 
great canals of Flushing, or Vlissingen, as the Dutch 
call it. 

The anchor was let go, the sails lowered and stowed, 
and the Josephine was once more at rest. The galiot 
came in, and anchored a cable’s length from her. 
Communication between the two vessels was imme- 
diately opened, and Lieutenant Martyn made his 


6 4 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


report of the voyage since he sailed from Thornton’s 
Ridge. No events of any importance had occurred, 
and his story could not be said to be at all sensational. 

In less than an hour the Young America ran into 
the port, and moored near the Josephine. The mo- 
ment her anchor had buried itself in the mud of the 
harbor, her officers and crew were in the rigging, 
gazing earnestly at the consort. It was possible they 
had noticed the galiot under a jury-mast, and in some 
manner connected her with the Josephine ; but they 
could have had no other clew to the exciting incidents 
which had transpired since the two vessels parted 
company the day before. 

“ I desire to renew my request for a boat, Captain 
Kendall,” said Professor Hamblin, stiffly, the moment 
the rattling cable of the ship was heard. 

“ Certainly, sir. I shall be very happy to furnish a 
boat for you,” replied Paul, politely. “ Mr. Terrill, 
you will pipe away the first cutters for Mr. Hamblin.” 

“ Yes, sir,” replied the first lieutenant, touching his 
cap. “ Boatswain, pipe awa}' the first cutters for Mr. 
Hamblin.” 

“ Mr. Terrill, you will pipe away the crew of the 
gig for me. I will go on board of the ship,” added 
the captain. 

“ Yes, sir,” answered Terrill. “ Boatswain’s mate, 
pipe away the gigsmen for the captain.” 

“ All the first cutters, on deck, ahoy ! ” shouted the 
boatswain. 

“ All the gigsmen, on deck, ahoy ! ” piped the boat- 
swain’s mate. 

Professor Hamblin stamped his foot on deck when 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 65 


he heard these orders, given almost in the same breath. 
He did not seem to consider that there was anything 
to be done except to attend to his affair. 

“ Captain Kendall,” said he, walking up to the 
young commander, with a brisk, nervous step, “ I 
wish to see Mr. Lowington alone.” 

“ Certainly, sir ; I will not object to your seeing him 
alone. If I can do anything to favor your views, I 
shall be happy to assist.” 

“You have ordered your gig, and you said 'you 
were going on board the ship,” added the learned 
gentleman, his wrath not at all appeased by the con- 
ciliatory reply of Paul. 

“ I am, sir.” 

“Am I to understand that you are going to see the 
principal in reference to my communication with 
him?” demanded Mr. Hamblin. 

“ No, sir. It is my duty to report any unusual 
event which occurs in the navigation of this vessel,” 
answered Paul, respectfully. 

“ It is quite proper for you to regard your own dis- 
obedience as an unusual event,” retorted the professor. 

“I was not thinking of that, sir. I am quite will- 
ing to leave that matter with Mr. Lowington, and to 
abide by his decision. I refer to the storm, and the 
wreck of the Dutch galiot. Those were unusual 
events.” 

“ It would be more proper, and more respectful to 
me, for you to defer your affairs till after I have seen 
the principal. This is the Sabbath day,” added Mr. 
Hamblin, solemnly. “ I do not desire to have this 
controversy opened to-day.” 

5 * 


66 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Then, sir, I suggest that you defer it until to- 
morrow,” added Paul. 

“ This is a question of discipline, and admits of no 
delay. If the professors of this vessel are to be diso- 
beyed and insulted, it is not proper for me to remain 
in her another hour.” 

“Insulted, sir?” exclaimed the young commander, 
blushing under this charge. 

“Yes, sir; insulted, sir!” replied Mr. Hamblin, 
angrily. “Did you not leave tbe class? That was 
disobedience, which, under the circumstances, per- 
haps I might have forgiven, if you had not added in- 
sult to injury. Not contented with your own miscon- 
duct, you immediately ordered all hands to be called, 
and every member of my class was taken away.” 

“ As to-day is Sunday, sir, I will not attempt to ex- 
plain my conduct. I am very sorry that any difficulty 
has occurred ; but I think Mr. Lowington will under- 
stand the matter. Your boat is ready, Mr. Hamblin,” 
added Paul, pointing to the gangway, where the third 
lieutenant was waiting for his passenger. 

“ Do I understand that you insist upon going on 
board of the ship immediately?” demanded the pro- 
fessor. 

“ Yes, sir. It is my duty to report to the principal 
without delay. There is a signal at the peak of the 
ship now,” replied Paul. 

“ Signal for the captain to report on board of the 
ship, sir,” said the signal-officer, touching his cap to 
his commander. 

Mr. Hamblin went over the side into the first cot- 
ter, which pulled away towards the ship. The gig 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 6^ 


immediately took her place, and the captain stepped 
into her. The cutter reached the Young America 
first, and the angry professor ran up the ladder with 
unwonted briskness. The principal was standing on 
the quarter, waiting to see the captain of the Jose- 
phine, for he was anxious to learn whether she had 
sustained any damage or lost any one overboard in 
the fierce storm. He knew that nothing but the most 
skilful seamanship could have prevented the decks of 
the schooner from being washed in the tremendous 
sea that prevailed during the hurricane. 

To Mr. Lowington every moment of time since the 
two vessels of the squadron parted company the day 
before had been burdened with the most intense solici- 
tude for the fate of the consort and her crew. The 
fact that she had been dilatory in taking in sail, when 
no one could know at what instant the squall would 
break upon her, had indicated a degree of recklessness 
which increased his anxiety. Mr. Fluxion had been 
sent to the fore cross-trees with a powerful glass early 
in the morning, and the Josephine had been discovered 
by the ship long before the Young America was seen 
by the pilot. 

During the night the ship had cruised off and on ip 
search of her consort, but the Josephine had drifted to 
the southward, and had sailed in that direction, after 
the fury of the tempest had wasted itself, in looking 
for the wreck of the galiot. The report of Mr. Flux- 
ion on the cross-trees that she was entering the Hond, 
relieved the principal’s anxiety in part ; but he was 
still fearful that some of her crew had been washed 
overboard. As soon as the anchor was let go, he 


68 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


had ordered the signal for Captain Kendall to be 
hoisted. 

Mr. Hamblin was the first person from the Josephine 
who presented himself to the principal. There was 
something in the professor’s countenance which looked 
ominous, and Mr. Lowington’s fears seemed to be con- 
firmed by the unusual solemnity of the learned gen- 
tleman’s expression. Mr. Lowington’s heart rose up 
into his throat ; for independently of the sorrow which 
the loss of one or more of the Josephine’s crew would 
cause him, he realized that such a calamity would be 
the death-blow to his favorite experiment. The entire 
charge of her had been committed to a boy of sixteen, 
and he blamed himself severely because he bad not 
placed an experienced officer on board of her, wdio 
might at least act in great emergencies. Though Mr. 
Cleats was an old sailor, he was not a navigator. 

The principal was in this state of suffering, border- 
ing upon anguish, when the irate professor of Greek 
and Latin came on board. Mr. Lowington tried to 
think that nothing had happened, but it was impos- 
sible. If any one had been lost, the Josephine’s flag 
would be at half mast, or some other signal would have 
been made. Mr. Hamblin’s face looked like death 
itself, only his brow was contracted, and bis lips were 
compressed as though anger and sorrow' were com- 
bined in his expression. 

“What has happened, Mr. Hamblin?” demanded 
the principal, manifesting more emotion than any one 
on board had ever before observed in bis manner. 

“ I am sorry to say, Mr. Lowington, that an un- 
pleasant event has occurred on board of the Jose- 
phine,” the professor began, very solemnly. 


young America in Holland and Belgium. 69 


“ I feared it,” gasped Mr. Lowington. “ Who 
was it?” 

“ The captain — ” 

“ Captain Kendall ! ” groaned Mr. Lowington, 
striking his bewildered head with both hands. 
“ Good Heaven ! I am responsible for this ! ” 

“ What is the matter, Mr. Lowington?” demanded 
the astonished professor. 

“ What did you say about Captain Kendall?” asked 
the principal, catching at the straw which the learned 
gentleman’s question seemed to hold out to him. 

“ I prefer to speak to you alone about it, Mr. Low- 
ington,” added the professor, glancing at the group 
of officers and instructors that were gathering around 
him. “ I wiil endeavor to control my emotions in 
stating this unpleasant business.” 

Mr. Lowington, apparently happy to have even a 
moment’s respite from the grief and gloom which 
must follow the sad intelligence of the loss of Captain 
Kendall, led the way to the professors’ cabin. 

“ Now, sir, what is it? Let me know the worst! ” 
exclaimed the principal, dropping upon the sofa like 
a man whose strength had all been taken from him. 
“ I have been dreading it for many long and weary 
hours.” 

“Dreading it?” repeated the confused professor. 
“Dreading what, sir?” 

“ That the Josephine had suffered severely in the 
storm,” replied the principal, impatiently. “ You 
have come to tell me that Captain Kendall was lost 
overboard?” And Mr. Lowington heaved a long 
sigh. 


7 ° 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ No, sir,” protested Mr. Hamblin. 

“ Didn’t yon say that a very unpleasant affair had 
happened on board?” demanded the principal, eagerly. 

“ I did ; but it was not the loss of the captain.” 

“Who was it?” asked Mr. Lowington, catching 
his breath, in the heaviness of his anxiety. 

“ I really don’t understand you, sir,” said the learned 
gentleman, astonished and confounded by what he re- 
garded as the singular conduct of the principal. 

“ Has any one been lost overboard from the Jose- 
phine?” demanded Mr. Lowington, in a loud tone, 
for he was impatient under the shuffling manner of 
the professor. 

“ No, sir ; no one, that I am aware of.” 

“ That you are aware of! ” exclaimed Mr. Lowing- 
ton, sternly. 

“ Of course, if any one had been lost, I should have 
heard of it,” answered Mr. Hamblin, who did not 
quite like the tone of the principal. 

“ Then the officers and crew are all safe — are 
they?” 

“ They are, sir — all safe.” 

“ Thank God ! ” ejaculated Mr. Lowington, heartily, 
an awfully heavy load removed from his mind.* 

“I have come on board, sir, to make a complaint 
against the captain of the Josephine. This is the un- 
pleasant business which brings me here,” added the 
learned gentleman, decidedly. 

“ Indeed ! ” 

But even this, disagreeable as it was, came as a re- 
lief to the overcharged heart of Paul’s best friend, who 
had received a terrible shock from the confused state- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 7 1 

meat of the professor. Yet it was very strange that 
any one should have a complaint to make against 
Paul Kendall, who had always been noble and manly, 
gentle and conciliating. 

“Yesterday, just before the storm came on, Mr. 
Kendall was reciting with the Greek class,” continued 
Mr. Hamblin. “ Word came to him that his presence 
was required on deck. He asked my permission to 
go on deck. As I could not see the necessity of his 
leaving the class before the lesson was finished, I re- 
fused to give him permission.” 

“ Did he leave then? ” 

“ Not then ; but half an hour later another message 
came to him, and he left, contrary to my orders, and 
contrary to my protest,” added the professor, waxing 
indignant as he recounted his wrongs. 

“What was the message that came the second 
time?” asked Mr. Lowington, mildly. 

“ I do not remember precisely what it was — I am 
not versed in sea terms ; but I do remember that Mr. 
Kendall left the class contrary to my express order. 
Not contented with this, he called all hands, and 
broke up the school, when there was no need of it. 
Such conduct is utterly subversive of school discipline, 
and — ” 

“ Excuse me, Mr. Hamblin, but as to-day is Sunday, 
I must defer hearing any more of your complaint until 
to-morrow,” continued Mr. Lowington, rising from his 
chair. 

“ I desire to have this question settled before I re- 
sume my position in the Josephine,” said the profess- 
or, cut by the apparent coolness of the principal. 


I 1 


DIKES AND DITCHES, Oil 


• “ I will hear what Captain Kendall has to say 
about it.” 

“ Sir,” exclaimed the learned gentleman, “ am I 
to understand that you are not satisfied with the truth 
of my statement?” 

“ By no means. I wish to hear from Captain Ken- 
dall his excuse for leaving the class. I am not able to 
determine whether it was satisfactory.” 

“ I have already determined that question myself. 
I think I observed to you that there was not a suffi- 
cient excuse for his leaving the class.” 

“ I will defer the discussion of the matter till to- 
morrow,” replied Mr. Lowington. 

“ I do not object to the delay, sir ; but I do object 
to having any of the statements of the pupil counter- 
balance those I have made.” 

“ Do you wish me to condemn him without a hear- 
ing?” 

“ I do not wish you to condemn him at all. I 
simply ask to be sustained in the discharge of my 
duty as a teacher.” 

u I will hear what more you have to say to-morrow, 
Mr. Hamblin.” 

“ Very well, sir ; but you must allow me to remain 
on board of the ship until to-morrow, for I cannot return 
to the Josephine till this unpleasant matter has been 
adjusted.” 

“ As you please,” replied the principal, as he has- 
tened on deck, where a cheer, half suppressed in 
deference to the day, had a few moments before been 
heard. 

As Paul came down from the rail of the ship, he 


VOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 73 


was greeted with applause ; for, without knowing what 
had occurred after they lost sight of the consort, the 
students in the ship realized that Paul had taken his 
vessel safely through the storm. He bowed and blushed 
at this demonstration, and hastened to meet Mr. Low- 
ington, who was just coming up from his interview 
with the professor. He had purposely delayed his 
passage to the ship, in order to afford Mr. Hamblin 
time to make his charges. It was plain that he had 
done so now, and Paul was not a little anxious for the 
result. 

“ Captain Kendall, I am very glad to see you,” said 
Mr. Lowington, warmly, as he extended his hand to 
the young commander. 

“ Thank you, sir ; I am just as glad to see you,” re- 
plied Paul, taking the proffered hand, and concluding 
that the professor had not materially prejudiced the 
principal against him. 

“ I have been very anxious about you, Captain Ken- 
dall,” added Mr. Lowington. “ I have imagined that 
all sorts of terrible things had happened to you and 
the Josephine. Is all well on board?” 

“ Yes, sir ; but we are all very tired. We were up 
all night, and the crew had to work very hard.” 

“ All night?” 

“ We went to the assistance of that galiot, sir. We 
saved four persons, and brought the vessel in, as you 
see her now. She was knocked down in the squall, 
and lost two men. We found her on her beam-ends.” 

“ Indeed, Captain Kendall, you have had your hands 
full,” replied Mr. Lowington, pleased with the gallant 
conduct of his young friend. 

7 


74 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ The captain of the galiot, — lie has a name as long 
as the main royal-mast backstay, and I can’t remem- 
ber it, — the captain is on board of the Josephine, and 
wishes to see you very much. I referred the whole 
matter to you, sir.” 

u I will see him at once.” 

“ He don’t speak a word of English — only Dutch.” 

“ Mr. Fluxion speaks Dutch, and he shall go with 
me. I will return with you in your boat,” added the 
principal. 

The professor of mathematics was called, and they 
embarked in the Josephine’s gig. On the way Paul 
briefly detailed the events which had occurred since 
the squall came on, explaining the means by which 
the shipwrecked party had been saved, and the vessel 
righted. He generously bestowed great praise upon 
his officers and crew for their zealous efforts both in 
working the Josephine, and in saving the galiot and 
her crew. 

“ I have been worried about you, Captain Kendall. 
You did not seem to be as prudent as usual when the 
storm was threatening. Ten minutes before the squall 
came up you had every rag of canvas set, including 
your fore square-sail. You ought to have reduced sail 
half an hour sooner, especially as there was no wind, 
and not a sail was drawing. You should have taken 
your precautions sooner, for you can’t tell the precise 
moment when a hurricane will burst upon you. All 
light sails and all extra ones should be taken in when 
there is a possibility of a squall.” 

“ I was attending the Greek class,” replied Paul ; 
but he resolved to make no allusion to the difficulty 
between Mr. Hamblin and himself. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 75 


Paul’s reply gave the principal an idea of the occa- 
sion of the unpleasantness, but he refrained from any 
further remark on the subject. 

“ The Dutch captain is much troubled about the 
salvage on his vessel, for the Belgian pilot told him 
the Josephine would be entitled to two thirds or three 
fourths of the property saved,” continued Paul. 

“ Salvage ! ” said the principal, with a smile. 
“ Well, I suppose you are entitled to it.” 

“ I hope you will give the Dutchman the vessel and 
cargo. He feels very badly. He has lost a brother 
and a brother-in-law, and now he is afraid of losing 
nearly all that was saved. I hope you will not take 
any salvage. I am sure the Josephines would all vote 
to have you make no claim for it.” 

“ Excellent! I hope they will,” replied the princi- 
pal, as he ascended to the schooner’s deck, followed 
by Mr. Fluxion and Paul. 


76 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


CHAPTER V. 

CAPTAIN SCHIMMEI.PENNINK. 

T the request of the principal, Mr. Fluxion acted 



.TV. as interpreter in the conversation with the Dutch 
skipper. The unfortunate man stated his case, and 
bewailed the heavy loss to which he had been subjected 
by the tempest. 

“ Call all hands, if you please, Captain Kendall,” 
said Mr. Lowington, when he had heard the statement 
as translated by Mr. Fluxion. 

Paul gave the required order, and in a few moments 
the crew were at quarters. The principal took his 
place on the main hatch, and all the Josephines waited 
with interest to hear what he had to say. 

“ Young gentlemen, since we parted company in 
the squall yesterday, I have suffered a great deal of 
anxiety on your account. The ship ran off before the 
gale, while the Josephine lay to. If you had not sailed 
to the southward after the tempest, we should not have 
lost sight of you for more than a few hours. I acknowl- 
edge that I reproached myself severely for intrusting 
the vessel to the sole care of students. But I find that 
she has been as well handled as though she had been 
under command of an old and experienced man. I 
wish to say to you that Captain Kendall has acquitted 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 77 

himself remarkably well in the emergency. Though 
he did not take in his light sails quite as soon as he 
should, everything else was done with the skill and 
prudence of a veteran.” 

At this point the students on board, who knew very 
well why Paul had not taken in the light sails sooner, 
looked at one another and smiled significantly. The 
difficulty between the professor and the captain had 
been fully discussed among them, and it hardly need 
be said that Paul was fully justified by his shipmates. 

“ I want to add,” continued the principal, “ that the 
conduct of Captain Kendall — with the exception I 
have mentioned — is fully and cordially approved. I 
must say that his behavior, his skill and energy, seem 
fully to justify the experiment undertaken in the Jose- 
phine. Your commander has made a full report of 
the vessel, and it gives me great pleasure to say that 
he awards the highest praise to his officers and crew 
for their zeal and fidelity. He informs me that officers 
and seamen labored with untiring energy to rescue the 
unfortunate persons on board of the galiot, and also 
to save the vessel itself. These efforts have been en- 
tirely successful. 

“ It is at all times the duty of the seaman to save 
life and property on the high seas. No one knows 
how soon we may need the kind offices of brother 
sailors of any nation ; and what we expect to receive 
from others we should at all times be prepared to ren- 
der to them. You have done nobly. I congratulate 
you upon your success’; and I thank you for the zeal 
with which you have discharged your several duties. 
Nothing so much as the dependence of one seaman 


78 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


upon another, in the hour of shipwreck and disaster 
unites the seamen of all nations in one fraternity. 
Young gentlemen, you have done something for yom 
ship, and something for your country ; for every true 
American feels proud and happy when he learns that 
an American vessel has saved even a single ship- 
wrecked mariner. I am sure your friends will be 
proud of you when they read your record for the last 
twenty-four hours. 

“According to maritime law, young gentlemen, you 
are entitled to salvage upon the vessel you have saved. 
Under ordinary circumstances, you would be justified 
in claiming from one half to three fourths of the value 
of this vessel. The galiot, I am informed, was not 
insured. The value of the vessel and cargo is per- 
haps four or five thousand dollars. I have no doubt 
the court would give you what would amount to two 
or three thousand dollars, at least ; for without assist- 
ance the vessel would probably have been a total loss. 

“ Captain Schimmelpennink, I am told, is the sole 
owner of the ‘ Wei tevreeden.’ He and his family lived 
on board of her. It was their only home, and she 
was their only worldly possession. At an expense 
of a few hundred dollars, he can restore her to her 
original condition. If sold in her present state, she 
would not bring half her actual value. Deducting 
the salvage from this amount, the unfortunate captain 
would lose at least three fourths of his property, the 
accumulation of his lifetime.” 

“We’ll no rob the poor mon,” interposed Mcl.eish, 
the Scotch boy, who was now on his good behavior. 

“ It will be no robbery, McLeish. You would take 


voung America ;n Holland and Belgium. 79 


hut your just dues,” replied the principal, with a 
smile. 

“ We’ll no tak it,” added McLeish. 

“No, sir!” “No, sir!” “No, sir!” responded 
the students in every direction. 

“ Not a dollar of it, sir ! ” said Paul, warmly. 

“ Thank you, young gentlemen,” continued Mr. 
Lowington, whose face indicated the pleasure he felt. 
“ You have voluntarily suggested what I was about to 
propose to you. To-day is Sunday, and your conduct 
is worthy of the day. I should not have mentioned 
the matter until to-morrow, if I had not desired to re- 
lieve the unfortunate captain from his anxiety and sus- 
pense. Your conduct will gladden his heart. We 
will take a vote on this question, that there may be no 
mistake in regard to your intentions. Those in favor 
of abandoning the claim for salvage will signify it by 
raising the right hand.” 

Every hand was raised, and most of the boys added 
an emphatic “ Ay ! ” to the hand vote. 

“ All up ! ” shouted the students, looking around 
them to find any one who was behind the others in 
this benevolent deed. 

“ Every one,” replied Mr. Lowington, smiling. 
“ Mr. Fluxion, I will thank you to communicate to 
the master of the galiot the action of the ship’s com- 
pany.” 

The Dutchman stood watching the proceedings of 
the party with a look of sad bewilderment. His wife 
and daughter were near him, as sad and confused as 
himself. The boys looked at him with interest as the 
professor of mathematics explained to him what had 


8o 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


taken place. The expression which lighted up his 
face, as he comprehended the action of the students, 
was an ample reward for their generous conduct. 

“ Tell him he may take possession of his vessel as 
soon as he pleases,” added the principal. 

Mr. Fluxion communicated this permission to the 
skipper ; and when he heard it he cast a longing 
glance at the “ Wei tevreeden,” which he seemed to 
regard in the same light as his wife and daughter. 

“How much will it cost to repair the galiot?” 
asked one of the students, stepping forward from a 
group which had been whispering together for a mo- 
ment very earnestly. 

“ I do not know the price of materials in Holland,” 
replied Mr. Lowington. “ Perhaps the captain and 
the pilot may be able to give you some information on 
this subject.” 

Mr. Fluxion, the pilot,, and the master of the galiot 
consulted together for some time. The jib and fore- 
sail, and a portion of the standing and running rigging, 
had been saved, and the Belgian and the Dutchman 
made a . computation of the cost of labor and material. 

“ About twelve hundred guilders,” said Mr. Low- 
ington, after Mr. Fluxion had reported the result of 
the conference. 

“How much is that, sir?” asked one of the boys, 
blankly. 

“ One hundred pounds, English,” said Paul, who 
had already studied up Dutch currency. “ About five 
hundred dollars.” 

“ I move you, sir, that a subscription paper be 
opened to raise the money to repair the galiot,” said 
Lvnch. • 


YOUNG AMERICA IK HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 8l 


“ Second the motion,” added Groesbeck. 

“Young gentlemen, I think you have done all that 
could be expected of you,” said Mr. Lowington. “ T 
do not mean to represent to you that Captain Schim- 
melpennink is an object of charity, though I am in- 
formed that he has not the means of paying for these 
repairs. But, since you desire it, I will put the matter 
to vote.” 

The motion was carried unanimously, as the one 
remitting the claim for salvage had been. The prin- 
cipal suggested that it was proper to appoint a com- 
mittee to attend to the subscriptions ; and Terrill, Pel- 
ham, and Lynch were appointed to perform this 
duty. Nothing was said to the skipper of the galiot 
about this proposition ; and Mr. Lowington having 
warmly commended the students for their generous 
sympathy with the unfortunate man, the crew were 
dismissed. 

A boat was sent to the “ Wei tevreeden ” with the 
captain and his party. The subscription paper was 
immediately opened. Terrill took the paper to Mr. 
Lowington first, who headed it with sixty guilders. 
The principal and the students seemed to make their 
financial calculations in English money, on the basis 
of twelve guilders to the pound. Mr. Fluxion put 
down twenty-four guilders, and the students twelve 
guilders each ; for no one was willing to be behind 
the others. 

Mr. Lowington returned to the ship ; and when din* 
ner was over, most of the Josephines turned in, for 
there was a fearful gaping on board as soon as the 
excitement had subsided. Hardly any of the crew 


82 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


had closed their eyes during the preceding night, and 
all of them were very tired. 

At five o’clock, the white flag containing a blue 
cross, which is the signal for divine service, appeared 
on the Young America. The service had been post' 
poned, to enable the Josephines to obtain a little need- 
ed rest : it was never dispensed with except at sea, in 
very heavy weather. Though the religious exercises 
were made unusually impressive by Mr. Agneau, after 
the storm and the wreck, it must be confessed that 
some of the consort’s company went to sleep during 
the hour ; but they were forgiven, even by the chap- 
lain, when their zealous labors to save life and properly 
were considered. 

For some reason of his own, Mr. Lowington invited 
the Dutch skipper and his family to attend the service, 
and a boat was sent for the party. They came on 
board, and were regarded with deep interest by the 
crew, though doubtless they were not much edified by 
the exercises, as they knew not a word of English. 

“ Captain Kendall,” said the first lieutenant of the 
schooner, when they returned to their cabin, “ I think 
I have money enough to build a new galiot for Cap- 
tain Schumblefungus, or whatever his name is. I 
don’t wonder that a man with such a name as that 
should be cast away, especially if the mate had to 
speak it before he let go the halyards.” 

“ How much have you?” asked Paul. 

“ I don’t know,” replied Terrill, producing a whole 
bundle of money orders, with which the students had 
paid their subscriptions. “ Mr. Lowington made a 
speech to the Young Americans after he returned on 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. S3 


board. He told them what we had done, and what 
we' intended to do. The fellows in the ship wanted 
to have a finger in the pie ; and I believe every one of 
them has put down his twelve guilders.” 

“ I am very glad to hear that ; for I pitied the Dutch 
captain from the bottom of my heart,” added Paul. 

“ All the professors gave twelve guilders, except old 
Hamblin — ” 

“ Professor Hamblin,” interposed Paul, gently rebuk- 
ing his friend for using that disrespectful appellative. 

“ Professor Hamblin ; but I have no respect for him, 
and I can’t always help speaking what I think. He 
is a solemn old lunatic, as grouty as a crab that has 
got aground.” 

“ We will not speak of him,” said Paul, mildly. 

“ Well, they all subscribed except him ; and Pm 
sure I’ve got more than twelve hundred guilders. 
Why, even the cooks and stewards gave something.” 

“ I’m glad you have been so fortunate.” 

“ Captain Spunkenfungle’s eyes will stick out a foot 
or two when he hears what we have done for him.”, 

“ And I’m sure we shall be as happy as he ; for such 
gifts, you know, are twice blessed.” 

The sums on the subscription papers were added up 
by Terrill and Pelham. 

“ Sixteen hundred and fifty-four guilders ! ” ex- 
claimed the former, when the result had been reached. 

“ Four hundred and fifty-four guilders more than 
the sum required,” added Paul, delighted by the intel- 
ligence. 

“ Shall we give it all to the skipper?” asked Pel- 
ham. 


8 4 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ T don’t know We will leave that to Mr. Lowing- 
ton,” replied Paul. 

“ I don’t think we ought to give him any more than 
enough to make up his loss. That would tempt him 
to wreck his galiot again, if there was an American 
ilag in sight,” said Terrill. 

“ I see no reason why he should be left any better 
off*than before the disaster,” continued the captain. 
“ We can keep the money as a charity fund ; and I 
have no doubt we shall soon find a chance to make 
good use of it.” 

The embarrassment of having a surplus was better 
than that of a deficiency would have been, and the 
sleepy officers of the Josephine were not likely to be 
kept awake by it. All hands turned in at an earlier 
hour than usual. The anchor watch were as sleepy 
as the others ; but the discipline of the vessel was 
rigidly adhered to, for the principal did not believe in 
neglecting any necessary precaution simply because 
the crew were tired. As seamen, the students were 
taught to realize that fatigue and want of sleep on 
shipboard would not justify any disregard of their 
regular routine duty. 

In the morning everything went on as usual. It 
had not been the intention of Mr. Lowington to put 
into Flushing, and no one was allowed to go on shore. 
The wind was fortunately fresh from the westward ; 
the pilots were still on board ; and fhe signal for sail- 
ing was hoisted on board of the Young America. 
Just before the squadron weighed anchor, Mr. Fluxion 
went on board of the galiot, and informed the skipper 
that all the expenses of the repairs of his vessel would 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. S5 

be paid by the students of the institution. The pro- 
fessor reported that the poor man was beside himself 
with joy when he received this intelligence. He ex- 
pressed his gratitude in extravagant terms, which had 
no English equivalents. Mr. Fluxion gave him eighty 
pounds in gold, and promised to see him again before 
the repairs were completed. 

Orders to weigh anchor were given, and the two 
vessels stood out of the port of Flushing into the broad 
river. At Paul’s invitation, Dr. Winstock came on 
board for the passage up the river. Mr. Hamblin still 
remained a guest of the ship, and the surgeon volun- 
teered to take his place, though he acknowledged that 
his Greek roots were little better than decayed stumps 
in his memory. 

There is nothing picturesque on the Scheldt ; and 
it was no great hardship for the students to be com- 
pelled to attend to their lessons in the steerage half 
\he time during the trip. The country is very low — 
some of it below the level of the sea ; and there was 
little to be seen on shore, though the students on deck 
found enough to interest them. 

Mr. Hamblin was the only unhappy person in the 
squadron, even the Knights of the Red Cross finding 
enough in this new and strange land to occupy their 
time without plotting mischief. The learned gentle- 
man did not like the way in which the principal ap- 
peared to be “ sustaining” him. Mr. Lowington had 
called the crew together, and told them what the Jose- 
phines had done, praising them in what seemed to the 
professor to be the most extravagant language. He 
did not like it : it was hardly less than an insult to 
8 


86 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


commend the student against whom he had preferred 
charges of disobedience and insubordination. 

He was vexed that no notice was taken of his com- 
plaints — that the matter had been deferred a single 
hour. In his opinion, Captain Kendall should have 
been promptly suspended. The moral effect of such 
a course would have been grand. Mr. Hamblin had 
spoken ; and he felt that he had spoken. If he was 
not sustained, he could not return to the Josephine. 
He had spoken ; and it was the principal’s place to 
speak next. 

Mr. Lowington did not speak. He was busy all the 
morning ; and when the vessels sailed, not a word had 
been said in allusion to the topic which, in Mr. Ham- 
blin’s estimation, overshadowed all others. If the 
principal did not think of it all the time, he ought to 
do so ; for the academic branch of the institution would 
be a failure if discipline was not enforced. The ship 
stood on her way before the fresh westerly breeze, and 
still Mr. Lowington did not mention the matter. The 
professor waited till he felt he was utterly ignored, and 
was sacrificing his dignity every moment that he per- 
mitted the question to remain unsettled. 

“ Mr. Lowington,” said he at last, with a mighty 
effort, — for it was the principal’s duty to speak first, — 
“ I made a complaint to you yesterday. Thus far no 
notice whatever seems to have been taken of it.” 

“ Perhaps the longer we wait the easier it will 
be to settle the question,” replied Mr. Lowington, 
pleasantly, though he dreaded the discussion that must 
ensue. 

“ If I am not to be sustained in the discharge of my 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 87 


duties, it is useless for me to attempt to perform them 
to your satisfaction or my own.” 

“You shall be sustained in the discharge of your 
duties, Mr. Hamblin. But we will discuss this matter 
in the cabin, if you please,” added the principal, as he 
led the way below. 

“Unless an instructor is sustained, of course he can 
do nothing,” said the professor, as he seated himself 
in the cabin. 

“ Certainly not. I will hear your complaint now, 
Mr. Hamblin,” replied the principal. 

The learned gentlema'n stated his grievance in about 
the same terms as on the day before. 

“ You say that a message was sent down to the cap- 
tain. Do you know what that message was?” asked 
the principal. 

“ I do not remember it precisely. It was something 
about a squall.” 

“ Very likely it was,” answered Mr. Lowington, 
dryly. “ There was a squall coming up at the time — 
was there not? ” 

“ I knew there was a shower coming up.” 

“ You declined to let him go on deck? ” 

“ I did, sir. The recitation in Greek was not half 
finished,” replied the professor, who deemed this a 
sufficient reason for declining. 

“ Captain Kendall did not go on deck when the first 
message was sent down?” 

“ No, sir ; we continued the recitation for half an 
hour longer without interruption. Then the messen- 
ger came again. I told Mr. Kendall not to leave the 
class; but, in direct opposition to my order, he went 


38 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


on deck. Not satisfied with this, though he knew that 
half the students were engaged in the recitations, he 
ordered all hands to be called. Of course the students 
were glad enough to get away from their lessons; and 
all of them stampeded from the steerage, in spite of 
my protest, and without even a word of apology.” 

“Did they?” added Mr. Lowington, with difficulty 
avoiding the disrespect of laughing in the face of the 
learned gentleman. 

“ They did ; and it must be as clear to you as it is 
to me, that such conduct is utterly subversive of any- 
thing like good discipline.” 

“ May I ask what punishment you propose as suita- 
ble for such an offence as that of Captain Kendall?” 

“ I am perfectly willing to leave that matter to you, 
sir; but I should think that simple suspension from 
his office would be sufficient, considering the position 
of Mr. Kendall.” 

“ Mr. Hamblin, it is your misfortune, not your fault, 
that you were brought up on shore instead of at sea,” 
added the principal. “ You have made a very great 
mistake, sir.” 

“ I, sir ! ” exclaimed the learned gentleman, spring- 
ing up from his seat as though such an event as that 
indicated by Mr. Lowington had never occurred in 
his life. 

“ Captain Kendall also made a mistake,” continued 
the principal. 

“ He did indeed, sir. It is always a very great mis- 
take to disobey one’s teacher.” 

“ I do not mean that.” 

“ May I ask what you do mean, sir? ” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM.’ 89 

“ His mistake was in not going on deck when the 
messenger sent to him by the officer of the deck re- 
ported that a squall was coming up.” 

“ But I refused the permission,” said the professor, 
warmly. 

“ Then he should have gone without your permis- 
sion,” added Mr. Lowington, decidedly. 

“ Am I to understand, sir, that you counsel disobe- 
dience among the bojs on the Josephine?” 

“ No, sir ; I counsel obedience to the laws of God 
and man, and to the orders of one’s superior. Mr. 
Hamblin, is it possible that you could not understand 
the circumstances of that occasion?” continued the 
principal. “ A squall was coming up, and you desired 
to detain the captain of your vessel in the steerage ! ” 

“ But half the crew were on deck. I am told that 
Mr. Terrill is a competent seaman. He knew enough 
to take down the sails, if necessary.” 

“ Such a course would have been without a prece- 
dent, and in violation of one of the rules of the ship.” 

“Did you not tell me that all the students, including 
the captain, — you mentioned him especially, — were 
subject to the orders of the professors in school hours?” 

“ I certainly did ; but if I had supposed that there 
was an instructor in either vessel so utterly wanting 
in discretion, I should have qualified the statement. 
Captain Kendall is in command of the Josephine. He 
is responsible for the safety of the vessel and for the 
lives of those on board.” 

“ He might have sent up word to take down the 
sails,” growled Mr. Hamblin, disgusted beyond meas- 
ure at the decision of the principal. 

8 * 


90 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Did any one ever hear of a captain working his 
vessel while in the steerage?” retorted Mr. Lowington, 
impatiently, as he took a pen and wrote a few lines on 
a sheet of paper. “Was Captain Kendall respectful 
to you ? ” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ What did he say that was disrespectful?” 

“ Disobedience is always disrespectful. He used no 
disi'espectful words.” 

“ I did not suppose he did. In a word, if Captain 
Kendall had gone on deck when the first messenger 
went to him, I should have justified and sustained him. 
I will go a step farther : he ought to have done so.” 

“ Then I am to understand that I am a mere cipher 
on board of the Josephine,” demanded Mr. Hamblin. 

“ You are to understand, sir, that the first duty of 
the captain of a ship is to his vessel and to those on 
board of her. Why, sir, I thought the young gentle- 
man was insane, and I was intensely anxious, when I 
saw his vessel with all her light sails on while a squall, 
so clearly indicated as that of Saturday, was impend- 
ing. I blamed him very much. The squall was as 
likely to come half an hour sooner as when it did 
come. If it had struck her with all sail set, it would 
have taken the masts out of her — perhaps foundered 
her. If several of the students had been lost, what 
satisfaction would it be to me or their friends to know 
that the disaster occurred because the professor of 
Greek refused to let the captain go on deck ! ” 

“ Perhaps I was wrong, sir.” 

“ Perhaps you were ! If you do not know that you 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 9! 


were, you are not fit for the position to which I as- 
signed you.” 

“ I see that you fully sustain Mr. Kendall,” groaned 
the professor. 

“ I only blame him because he did not disobey you 
the first time instead of the second.” 

“ Was it necessary for him to call all hands?” de- 
manded Mr. Hamblin, triumphantly. 

“ It was, emphatically necessary ! If he had gone 
on deck when the first message reached him, it might 
not have been necessary, though I should have sus- 
tained him in doing so; for the safest side is always 
the best side. May I ask you to read this order?” 
added the principal, as he handed the sheet upon which 
he had written to the learned professor. 

Mr. Hamblin read the order aloud. 

Captain Kendall is hereby authorized and directed 
to leave any class in which he may be engaged, when- 
ever, in his own judgment, the management of his ves- 
sel requires him to do so. The instructors in the con- 
sort are requested to respect this order. 

R. Lowington. 

Professor Hamblin dropped the paper, took oft' his 
spectacles, looked on the floor a moment, and seemed 
to feel that the nautical academy was not the paradise 
of schoolmasters. 

“ Mr. Lowington, I feel obliged to tender my resigna- 
tion of the position I occupy,” said the learned gentle- 
man, haughtily. 


92 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“\V>y well, sir. Though the want of an instructor 
in your department will be a serious inconvenience to 
me, I shall accept your resignation if you are not will- 
ing to respect this order,” replied the principal. 

That ended the •cmdv^pce, and Paul was sustained. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM 93 


CHAPTER VI, 


PROFESSOR HAMBLIN CHANGES HIS MIND, 



ROFESSOR HAMBLIN went on deck, walked 


up and down, and made himself as miserable as 
possible. He was the senior instructor of the Jose- 
phine, and was the superintendent of her academic 
department. He had been a schoolmaster or a pro- 
fessor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the 
dogmatism of the pedagogue. He was disposed to 
be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his 
profession, rather than his nature, had implanted 
this tendency in his character. Certainly the almost 
absolute sway of the schoolmaster encourages such 
an unfortunate development of the lower faculties of 
human nature. 

It is necessary that the parent or the teacher should 
have this absolute sway. Practically, his will is law, 
and the child has no alternative but to rebel or obey. 
The limit to his authority is only placed on the line 
where tyranny ends and actual abuse begins. It is 
true that public opinion has its influence upon the 
teacher or parent ; but there is room for much petty 
oppression before the limit of endurance is reached. 
A man may be an efficient teacher, and produce 
splendid intellectual results, while he is a tyrant and 


94 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


an oppressor ; indeed, his tyranny and oppression may 
be the very means by which his success is accom- 
plished. 

The rights of the pupil are not recognized by such 
men. The scholar is regarded as a machine, rather 
than an immortal soul. Though Mr. Hamblin was 
a very pious man, in his own way, and was very 
careful in his observance of all the forms of law 
and tradition, he was a tyrant at heart. He ruled 
with an iron will, and willingly suffered no one in 
the school-room to hold an opinion different from 
his own. He was not popular in the Josephine ; he 
had never been a popular teacher anywhere, though 
he had been a successful one, so far as intellectual re- 
sults were concerned. His success seemed to justify 
him, and certainly it added to the strength of his 
tyrannical will. 

The good schoolmaster recognizes and respects the 
rights of the scholar. While he is an unflinching 
disciplinarian, expecting an unquestioning obedience, 
he does not believe in his own infallibility. He is 
kind and considerate, and regards his pupil as an 
embryo man, “ endowed with certain inalienable 
lights,” which none may trample upon with impu- 
nity. He is both just and merciful, his heart being 
filled with love to God aird love to man. 

Such was not Mr. Hamblin. The greatest sin of 
a student was to have a will of his own. He had not 
the power or the inclination to harmonize that will 
with the requirements of duty, and he broke it down, 
not by coarse abuse, but by making the pupil so un- 
comfortable that a total submission was better than 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 95 


a reasonable independence. In mild-tempered boys, 
like Paul Kendall, the task was an easy one, when no 
principle was at stake. 

The professor walked up and down the deck, 'brood- 
ing over his grievances. He could not afford to 
abandon his situation on the one hand, and it seemed 
impossible to acknowledge that he was wholly wrong 
on the other hand. When he had thoroughly cooled 
ofi, he was willing to own that it was necessary for 
the captain to go on deck, and that if he had compre- 
hended the situation he should have given him per- 
mission to do so. But he knew nothing about the 
management of a vessel. How should a professor 
of Greek and Latin be expected to understand a mat- 
ter which even the most ignorant could comprehend, 
and of which even a boy of sixteen had made himself 
master? Boys could play base-ball, but he did not 
know how ; and it seemed just as much beneath his 
dignity to be familiar with practical navigation. 

He was sorry now that he had not given Captain 
Kendall permission to go on deck ; for it was impossi- 
ble to refute the arguments of the principal ; but at 
the same time he had not overstepped the duties of 
his office. He had been informed that all the students, 
even to the captain, were subject to his will and pleas- 
ure during school hours, and therefore he had a per- 
fect right to detain the captain. It was not his fault 
that a blunder had been made ; he had not made it. 

The order which Mr. Lowington had shown him 
would remedy the difficulty in future, and prevent 
its repetition ; but if that order was promulgated, 
it would assure the pupils that Captain Kendall had 


9 6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


been fully sustained, and that the professor had not 
been sustained. Mr. Hamblin shuddered at the 
thought ; for justifying a student at the expense of 
the instructor was an enormity which he could not 
countenance. The captain’s will would remain un- 
broken, and the professor would occupy a secondary 
position on board of the Josephine. 

The learned gentleman walked the $eck hour after 
hour, endeavoring to devise a plan by which he could 
return to his position without the sacrifice of any por- 
tion of his dignity. Mr. Lowington, in saying that 
the professor’s resignation would be a serious incon- 
venience to him, had left the door open for him to 
levise his final action. The squadron was eventually 
to visit Greece and other classic lands, and he was 
very anxious to continue his travels, not only without 
expense to himself, but while in the receipt of a hand- 
some salary. Such an opportunity to see Europe 
could never again be presented to him, and he was 
not willing to sacrifice it. 

Professor Hamblin was becoming more reasonable; 
but there was the untamed will of Captain Kendall, 
an unconquered fortress, in his path. Perhaps Mr. 
Lowington, now that the excitement of the first inter- 
view had subsided, might help him out of the embar- 
rassing dilemma, though his decided manner was not 
very encouraging. The professor determined to have 
another interview, and as soon as he saw the principal 
alone he opened the subject again. 

“ What you said about my resignation, Mr. Lowing- 
ton, gives me some uneasiness. It is not my wish to 
subject you to any inconvenience by leaving you, in 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 97 


a foreign land, where much delay must necessarily 
ensue before you can obtain a suitable person to fill 
my place,” said he, in a tone of embarrassment. 

“ It would disturb my plans very much ; but I can- 
not endanger the vessel and the lives of those on board 
of her. The position of Captain Kendall is anomalous, 
you will perceive.” 

“ I am quite willing now to say that if I had under- 
stood the situation, I should have permitted Mr. Ken- 
dall to leave the class.” 

“And I am quite willing to say that your services 
as an instructor are entirely satisfactory to me,” added 
the principal, with a smile. 

They were more satisfactory to him than they were 
to the students of the Josephine. 

“ Then we seem to be in full accord with each other 
on these points,” replied the professor, hopefully. “ I 
trust some arrangement may be made to reconcile the 
differences of opinion on the question of discipline. 
You do not sustain me, Mr. Lowington.” 

“I cannot, sir. If I did, I should expect the Jose- 
phine to go to the bottom with all on board, in the 
first gale of wind she encounters, should Captain 
Kendall happen to be reciting his Greek at the 
time.” 

“ I think I understand the matter better now, and 
in a similar emergency I should permit him to leave 
the class.” 

“ In matters of seamanship anti navigation, I have 
more confidence in the judgment of Captain Kendall 
than in yours. He must be absolute in his position 
as captain of the vessel.” 

9 


9 8 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Of course, sir ; and in the composition of a soup 
doubtless you would have more confidence in the 
judgment of your cook than in mine,” added the 
professor, cynically ; for, intellectually, the cook and 
the captain appeared to be on the same level to him ; 
and as a professor of Greek, he did not regard it as 
any more derogatory to his dignity not to know any- 
thing of the principles of seamanship than to be igno- 
rant of the art of making a soup. 

“ The order which I have written, and which I shall 
transmit to Captain Kendall as soon as the squadron 
comes to anchor, will set the matter right,” said Mr. 
Lowington. 

“ Do you insist on issuing that order?” asked Mr. 
Hamblin. 

“ I do.” 

“Let me say that Mr. Stoute did not indorse my 
course, and that in future I will give Mr. Kendall 
permission to leave the class whenever he desires 
to do so.” 

“That is very well, sir; but, under the circum- 
stances, I cannot permit the captain to be embar- 
rassed even by the necessity of asking permission. 
If, by any diffidence on his part, he should delay 
asking leave to go on deck, serious mishaps might 
occur.” 

“ Then I am to be subject to the will of that boy?” 
said the professor, disgusted at the thought. 

“ Not unless you are connected with the sailing de- 
partment of the vessel. You are simply prevented 
from exercising your will over him, to the detriment 
of his duties as a navigator.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 99 


“ In this light the case looks different to me,” added 
the professor, who was laboring to recede from his 
position as gracefully as possible. “ I am willing to 
permit the captain to have his own will in all matters 
pertaining to the management of the vessel, as I am 
to allow the cook entire freedom in making his soup.” 

“ Then nothing more need be said, and you can re- 
sume your position on board of the Josephine at once.” 

“ I am not entirely satisfied about that order, Mr. 
Lowington,” added Mr. Hamblin. 

“Why not?” 

“ Because that sustains Mr. Kendall and condemns 
me in a public and formal manner.” 

“ That is precisely what I intend to do.” 

“ It amounts to sacrificing me, by placing me in a 
derogatory position. I have not transcended the power 
given me, and it is not right that I should be formally 
condemned.” 

“ The order passes no judgment upon the past ; it 
relates to the future only. Captain Kendall must 
understand that he has full liberty to go when and 
where he pleases, in the discharge of his duty. I 
am confident he will not abuse this liberty.” 

“ But I am to stand before him in this business as 
a whipped puppy. Couldn’t you give him the order 
verbally, and explain my position to him?” 

“ What is your position?” demanded the principal, 
with a smile. 

“ I mean simply that in detaining him I erred 
through a want of knowledge of seamanship.” 

“ I can explain that; but I think it would be better 
for you to do so.” 


IOO 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ For me ! ” gasped the professor. “ Why, sir, that 
would he an apology ! ” 

“ It would be merely an explanation, which would 
come more gracefully from you than from any other 
person.” 

“ I don’t think so, sir. It would be lowering my- 
self before him.” 

“ As you please, Mr. Hamblin. I will explain the 
matter myself, when I give him the order.” 

“ If you could give him the order verbally, it would 
be better.” - 

“ No ; he must have the written order to show to 
any professor who disputes his authority. But Cap' 
tain Kendall will never give you any trouble. He is 
manly and gentle, and he will not take advantage of 
his position.” 

“I think he will have abundant ground to manifest 
his triumph.” 

“ He will not do anything of the kind. If any officer 
of the Josephine treats you with disrespect, he shall be 
suspended at once from office.” 

“ That is very proper, sir,” added Mr. Hamblin, 
heartily. 

The learned gentleman let himself down as easily 
as possible. He had consented to remain rather than 
subject the principal to the great inconvenience and 
delay of procuring a new instructor. Captain Ken- 
dall was to be independent only in the sailing de- 
partment, in which he had no disposition to interfere, 
any more than with the cook. He regarded it as a 
bitter necessity which compelled him to return to 
die Josephine ; for he could not forego the pecuniary 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. IOI 


advantage and the opportunity of visiting the classic 
lands which the voyage presented ; but, though he 
yielded with what grace lie could command, he was 
dissatisfied with Mr. Lowington, and more dissatis- 
fied with Paul. 

To go back to the consort unsustained was almost 
like going to a dungeon for a capital crime, to which 
nothing but personal interest induced him to submit. 
If the captain did not enjoy his triumph, it would be 
a degree of forbearance which he could not compre- 
hend. But he was quite certain that the captain 
would “ put on airs,” abuse his absolute liberty, and 
perhaps snub his teacher before the class. Air. 
Hamblin expected this, and made up his mind to 
be on the lookout for it. 

After dinner Mr. Lowington suggested that his ser- 
vices must be much needed on board of the Josephine, 
and’ proposed to send him to her at once. Mr. Ham- 
blin consented, and as the consort kept astern of the 
ship, the latter was hove to, and the professor’s barge 
lowered. Mr. Lowington went with the learned gen- 
tleman, and agreeably to his promise, made a full ex- 
planation to Paul, while the instructor, without a word 
to any one, hastened to the steerage, and called his 
class, just as though nothing had occurred. It was 
observed that he was unusually sour, crabbed, and 
precise, and all the students were anxious to know 
how the question of discipline had been settled. 

“ Read this order, if you please, Captain Kendall,” 
said the principal, when he had conducted him to the 
cabin, where they were alone. 

“ I have no desire to leave my class, unless my duty 

9* 


102 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


to the vessel requires it,” added Paul, after he had read 
the order. 

“ I did not suppose you had ; but you will keep that 
order in your pocket, and remember that your first duty 
is to your ship and crew.” 

u I suppose you have learned by this time, sir, the 
reason why we did not take in sail sooner on Satur- 
day,” continued Paul, blushing deeply. 

“ I have. Professor Hamblin feels very badly about 
this matter. At the time of it, he believed he was right, 
for he knows less about a vessel than even the chap- 
lain of the ship. He acknowledges now that he was 
in error. Our rules did not before apply with suffi- 
cient distinctness to your particular case, as captain of 
the vessel, responsible for her proper navigation. Mr. 
Hamblin did not overstep the letter of his duty in 
refusing you permission to go on deck, and I only 
blame him for his want of judgment. By this order, 
which corrects the ship’s rules, you are made inde- 
pendent in all matters relating to the management of 
the vessel.” 

“ I think there can be no trouble now, sir,” re- 
plied Paul, delighted to find that his conduct was 
approved. 

“ I hope not ; and I do not expect any.” 

Mr. Lowington returned to the ship, satisfied that 
he had healed the wounds of both the sufferers. Paul 
was happy, and he determined to treat the professor 
with the utmost deference and kindness, and thus 
remove the remembrance of the difficulty. At four 
o’clock, after the squadron had passed Beveland, and 
entered the Belgian territory, Paul went down to 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. IO} 

recite his Greek, as usual. He could not help seeing 
that Mr. Hamblin’s lip quivered, and that he was 
laboiing under strong emotions, when he took his 
place at tlie mess table. The captain was hardly less 
embarrassed, but he hoped an opportunity would soon 
occur for him to perform some kind act for the irri- 
tated gentleman. 

When the recitation was nearly finished, and both 
parties had recovered their self-possession, the vessel 
gave a sudden “ bump,” which nearly tipped the pro- 
fessor off his stool ; but he righted himself, and was 
too much absorbed in his favorite study to think of 
the incident for a moment. 

“ Mr. Terrill directs me to report to you that the 
vessel is aground ! ” said one of the midshipmen, in 
breathless haste, touching his cap to the captain. 

Paul blushed deeply, and was intensely annoyed at 
this repetition of the circumstances of Saturday ; but 
there was no alternative but for him to go on deck. 

“ Will you excuse me, Mr. Hamblin? ” asked Paid, 
rising. 

The professor bowed, but made no reply in words. 
He wondered if the vessel had not been run aground 
on purpose to mortify and annoy him. He was in- 
clined to think that such was the case, and that it had 
been done to enable the captain to display his absolute 
authority. 

Paul went on deck ; but the pilot assured him that 
the accident would not subject the vessel to half an 
hour’s delay, for the tide was rising very rapidly. He 
had run her a little too near a shoal, while the Young 
America, by keeping in mid channel, had gone clear 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


104 

There was nothing for the captain to do on deck, and 
he returned to his class. The Josephine came off' 
the ground within the half hour, and by putting on 
more sail overhauled the ship before sjie reached 
Antwerp. 

“ Here is the city, Paul,” said Dr. Winstock, as the 
Josephine rounded a bend in the river. “ You can 
see the spire of Antwerp Cathedral.” 

“ I see it, sir. I have heard a great deal about it. 
This is farther than we have been from the sea since 
we sailed.” 

“ Yes, it is a long pull from the sea for a sailing 
vessel ; but Antwerp is- the only convenient port for 
visiting the greater part of Belgium. We are only a 
short distance from Brussels, Ghent, Malines, and 
Liege. I suppose we shall visit no other port in Bel- 
gium ; indeed, there is no other convenient one, except 
Ostend.” 

“ There is a whole fleet of British steamers at anchor 
opposite the town,” said Paul, when the Josephine had 
gone a little farther. 

“ A great many merchant steamers come up the 
river. There are regular lines to London and Har- 
wich. By the latter route you may leave Antwerp at 
four in the afternoon and be in London at nine the 
next morning, though the Ostend or Calais line is 
quicker and better.” 

“ Those are large steamers,” added Paul, as the 
squadron approached the fleet at anchor. 

“ Why, that’s the Victoria and Albert! ” exclaimed 
the doctor, pointing to the largest of the ships. “ That 
is the yacht of the Queen of England ’ 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. IO5 

“ It is a pretty large yacht,” replied Paul. “ What 
are the other steamers? ” 

“ They are the consorts of the yacht. The one 
that lies nearest to her is the Osborne, which was for- 
merly the queen’s state vessel. The others are merely 
a kind of guard of honor.” 

“ Does it take five steamships to bring the queen over 
to Antwerp?” asked Paul, laughing. 

“ She must go in state when she goes,” added the 
doctor. “ The Victoria and Albert is a ship of twen- 
ty-four hundred tons. I hope we shall have an oppor- 
tunity to go on board of her.” 

“ I hope we shall ; but that is hardly to be ex- 
pected.” 

“ They do not exhibit her when she is in English 
waters, but I think they do when she is abroad.” 

“ All ready to moor ship, Mr. Terrill,” said Paul, as 
the Young America gave the signal. 

The Josephine ran up to a point near the ship, and 
Within a couple of cables’ length of the royal squad- 
ron let go her anchor. Port officers came on board, 
and explained the harbor regulations ; among them, 
one whose duty it was to determine the amount due 
the pilot. This official “hooked” the vessel, or meas- 
ured her draught. As the Josephine drew about ten 
feet of water, the charge was one hundred and ninety- 
eight francs. 

Everything was made snug on board ; the ropes 
were carefully coiled, and all the running rigging 
hauled taut ; for, lying near the queen’s yacht, Paul 
desired to have the vessel present her best appearance. 
The work of the day was ended, and the students were 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


106 

at liberty to observe the strange scenes around them 
There was the city of Antwerp, but it was not much 
different from any other city. The Scheldt formed a 
crescent in front of the town, and there was a multi- 
tude of vessels lying at the quays, as the space on the 
shore is called. The river is about fifteen hundred 
feet wide, and deep enough to float a ship of the line. 
The city is very strongly fortified, on both sides of the 
river. 

“ Here we are, for a week or two,” said Pelham to 
the first lieutenant, after all the ship’s duty had been 
performed. 

“ I suppose so,” replied Terrill. “ It seems to me 
just as though we had been sailing down hill ever 
since we came into the river. Hark ! ” 

It was just six o’clock, and the chime of bells on the 
great Cathedral played a silver-toned melody which 
was almost enchanting. 

“ I should not object to hearing that every hour,” 
said Pelham, when the tune was finished. “ Do they 
play the same tune over again?” 

“ I’m sure I don’t know,” replied Terrill. 

“ They have a different tune for each hour of the 
day, and play the entire music of an opera,” in- 
terposed Dr. Winstock. “ They give a short strain 
at the quarter hour, and a longer one at the half 
hour.” 

“ That will be music all day long.” 

“ Yes, and all night long,” added the surgeon, as he 
walked away with the captain. 

“ I wish he were going to stay on board instead of 
that solemn old lunatic, the Greek and Latin hum- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. IO? 


bug,” said Terrill, who had a habit of speaking his 
mind very plainly. 

“ Do you know how the row was settled between 
him and the captain?” asked Pelham. 

“ I do not ; but I am confident Mr. Lowington sus- 
tained the captain,” answered Terrill. “ I was in 
hopes that we had got rid of him when he went on 
board of the ship yesterday, and I was mad when I 
saw him coming back to-day noon.” 

“ There is not a fellow in the Josephine that didn’t 
have the same thought,” added Pelham. “ I don’t see 
why a man need try to make himself as disagreeable 
as he does. All the students were willing to treat 
him with respect, and get their lessons well ; but he 
is as crank as an alderman.” 

“ I wish we could get rid of him,” suggested 
Terrill. 

“ Of course we can’t do that,” replied Pelham, who 
was not disposed to get into any more scrapes. 

“ We might make the Josephine uncomfortable for 
him,” suggested Terrill. 

“ We might ; but I think we had better not,” added 
the prudent Pelham, made wise by experience, as the 
bell for the cabin supper rang. 

Professor Hamblin looked unusually gloomy and 
morose, but he labored perseveringfy to keep up his 
dignity. Paul sat at the head of the table, ordinarily 
with his officers on each side of him in the order of 
their rank ; but on the present occasion, Dr. Winsiock 
occupied the place at his right. At the opposite end 
of the board was Mr. Hamblin, with the fat professor 
on his right. Behind the captain’s chair stood the 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


10S 

head steward, while the second steward was stationed 
near the instructors. 

Mr. Hamblin occasionally cast a furtive glance at 
the young commander ; but Paul seemed to be as 
composed as though nothing had happened to dis- 
turb the friendly relations between them. Though he 
did. not observe it, Terrill persisted that the learned 
gentleman looked “ ugly,” and would make another 
row as soon as he could get a chance. 

“ I can see through the mainsail when there is a 
hole in it,” said the executive officer to Pelham, when 
they went on deck again. “ If there wasn’t mischief 
in Mr. Hamblin’s eye, there never was mischief in any 
man’s eye.” 

“ What do you mean? ” asked Pelham. 

“ You know the old lunatic threatened to have the 
captain suspended for leaving the class. lie failed in 
that, and if he don’t try it again, I’m mistaken in the 
man.” 

“ Of course he won’t make any more complaints 
till he has something to complain of, and Paul won’t 
give him a chance.” 

“ I don’t suppose he will voluntarily ; but his con- 
duct will be distorted. I tell you tbe professor is 
ugly, and he hates the captain as badly as a Christian 
can.” 

“ Pie hasn’t improved his popularity on board by 
what he has done.”. 

“ Every fellow on the Josephine is down upon him. 
There’ll be a row on board soon, in my opinion,” 
added Terrill, as Dr. Winstock and Paul came on 
deck. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. IO9 

A boat was lowered to send the surgeon on board 
the ship. Paul accompanied him ; and on die way 
they went up to the gangway of the Victoria and 
Albert, and ascertained that visitors would be ad- 
mitted to the ship on the following day, from ten till 
four. 

10' 


] IO 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


CHAPTER VII. 

THE LECTURE ON BELGIUM. 

A LL hands, attend lecture on board ship, ahoy ! ” 
shouted the boatswain of the Josephine, as the 
signal to this effect appeared on the Young America. 

Ordinarily this call was not an agreeable one ; for 
the students had voted that it was “dull music” to 
listen to a stupid lecture on geography and history ; 
but in the present instance it was not so. The in- 
formation communicated in regard to England and 
Scotland was so familiar to them that it was robbed 
of its interest; but the school-books contained only 
very meagre allusions to Holland and Belgium. Many 
of them had read Mr. Motley’s eloquent descriptions 
of the bravery and devotion to principle of the Dutch 
people in their civil wars and in their terrible conflict 
with the Spaniards, and they were desirous of know- 
ing more about the country and its inhabitants. 

Holland is in itself an exceedingly interesting coun- 
try. The students had seen something of its dikes and 
ditches, and were anxious to see more. The region 
seemed to be very much like a ship ; for it was neces- 
sary to keep the water out as much as possible, and to 
pump out that which leaked in or rained in. The 
boys were to go on shore, and they desired to under- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. I I I 


stand something of the history of the country, in order 
to appreciate the various objects which commemorated 
mighty events in the past. The citadel of Antwerp 
was in sight at a bend up the river, and they were 
curious to know its antecedents. 

On both vessels the libraries had been ransacked for 
information by the more enthusiastic of the pupils, and 
many interesting facts had been gleaned from the vol- 
umes ; but those who knew the most about the country 
were the most anxious to know more. With only a 
few exceptions, therefore, the “ call to lecture,” on the 
present occasion, was a welcome one. The boats were 
lowered, and all hands in the Josephine, including the 
professors, went on board of the ship, leaving the ves- 
sel in charge of the adult forward officers. 

Mr. Mapps had already made his preparations in 
the steerage, and on the foremast hung a large Dutch 
map of the Netherlands. The students filed in and 
took their seats. The professor looked unusually 
pleasant and enthusiastic, probably because he felt 
that his wares were in demand. 

“ Young gentlemen, before you is the map of the 
Netherlands,” he began. “ For our present purpose, 
the term must include both Holland and Belgium ; for 
until 1S30 the two were one country, the latter having 
had, for no long period, a separate political existence 
till that time. 

“The Dutch name of the country is Ncderlande?i ; 
the French name, Pays-Bas ; both of which have the 
same meaning — ‘low countries.’ By this time you 
have realized the literal significance of the term ; for 
nearly all the region consists of an immense low plain, 


1 12 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


intersected by rivers or arms of the sea. A reference 
to the physical geography of Europe shows you that 
the great northern plain, containing nine times the 
area of France, or about one half the area of Europe, 
extends from the Ural Mountains to the;jGerman 
Ocean. 

“ Doubtless the whole region now included in the 
Netherlands was once a mere swamp, a wild and use- 
less morass, unfit for the habitation of man. Three 
great rivers, you perceive on the map, have their 
course, in whole or in part, through Holland and 
Belgium — the Rhine, the Maas, or Meuse, and the 
Scheldt. 

“ By a reference to your navigation charts, young 
gentlemen, you will often find banks and bars thrown 
up at the mouths of rivers. At the mouth of the 
Scheldt, several miles front the shore, there are 
Thornton’s Ridge, The Rabs, Schouwen Bank, 
Steen Banks, and others of similar formation. At 
the mouth of the Mississippi, in our own country, 
you are aware that large vessels find great difficulty 
in getting over the bar. If we take a tumbler full 
of Mississippi water, after heavy rains in the north- 
west, and let it stand a few moments, a thick sediment 
settles at the bottom. This sediment forms the bar 
at the mouth of the river. The sand and mud are 
carried down by the current, and when the water 
has a chance to rest, it deposits its burden upon the 
bottom.” 

“ But why in that particular place?” asked an in- 
terested student. 

“ Because the current of the river comes to a halt 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLI.AND AND BELGIUM. I 1 3 

where it meets the inflowing tide of the gulf, or 
when it has spent its force. These bars are some- 
times formed by currents resulting from the com- 
bined action of the sea and the flow of the river, or 
by winds. A heavy gale has been known to change 
the aspect of a coast, to shut up a harbor, or to open 
one where there had before been no inlet. Cape Cod 
presents some remarkable instances of these physical 
revolutions. 

“ The great rivers of the Netherlands, in like man- 
ner, have brought down their sands and mud, and de- 
posited them on what now forms the shore of the 
country. The forces of the ocean, against which 
the Dutchman of to-day has to contend for the pres- 
ervation of his life and property, assisted in making 
this country a habitable region. Certain westerly and 
south-westerly winds drive the waters of the Atlantic 
into the German Ocean. The coast of the country, 
you see by the map, is exposed to the longest sweep 
of the wind from the north-west, and the most violent 
tempests to which Holland is exposed come from that 
direction. Now, what is the effect of these storms? ” 

“ They pile up the sand-bars,” replied Captain 
Kendall. 

“ Precisely so ; the dunes and ridges of sand which 
border the country from the straits of Dover to the 
Texel are caused by these violent winds from the 
north-west. The effect of this piling up of the sands 
was eventually to limit, in a measure, the boundary 
of the sea. The dunes and ridges formed the founda- 
tion for the dikes which the industrious and perse- 
vering Dutchman has erected upon them, and by 
IO * 


1J 4 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


which he has made his country. For the want of 
time, I shall defer the physical features of Holland, 
and a more particular description of its dikes and 
ditches, to a future occasion. In what country are 
we now?” 

“ In Belgium, sir,” replied McLeish, who always 
answered when he could, though in general knowl- 
edge her was far behind his American classmates. 

“What is the French name?” 

“ La Belgique .” 

“ The German ? ” 

“ Belgien.” 

“What is the French adjective?” 

“ Beige." 

“ There is a liberal newspaper published at Brus- 
sels, the capital of Belgium, which is often quoted as 
political authority in the United States, called the 
hidependance Beige. What does the term mean ? ” 

“ ‘ The Belgian Independent,’ or ‘ The Independent 
Belgian,’ ” laughed Pelham. 

“ But the first word is a noun.” 

“‘The Belgian Freeman,’ or something of that sort.” 

“ Doubtless it will bear that rendering, though it 
means literally ‘ Belgian Independence.’ Belgium 
is bounded on the north, and partly on the east, by 
Holland ; mostly on the east by the Rhenish prov 
inces of Prussia, forming a part of Germany ; on the 
south-west by France; and on the north-west by the 
German Ocean. It has an area of eleven thousand 
three hundred and thirteen miles ; that is, it is about 
the size of Maryland, or of Massachusetts and Con- 
necticut united. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND 'AND BELGIUM. TI5 


“ Its population in 1S63 was about five millions, 
equal to the aggregate of New York and Massachu- 
setts. In New England, in 1S60, there were fifty 
persons to the square mile ; in Massachusetts, which 
is the most densely peopled of the United States, one 
hundred and seventy ; but Belgium has four hundred 
and forty souls to the square mile, and is the most 
thickly-settled country in the world. 

“ Belgium contains nine provinces, the largest of 
which, in area, is Luxembourg, though it is one of the 
smallest in population. The largest in population is 
East Flanders.” 

“Flanders!” exclaimed Terrill; “I was hoping 
you would say something about Flanders, for I had 
an idea it was Belgium.” 



vided into two provinces by the King of Holland, and 
became a part of the United Kingdom of Belgium 
when it was established in 1S30. It figures largely 
in history, and ‘ our army in Flanders’ is a proverb. 

“ The soil of Belgium is generally sandy and poor; 
but, by skill and industry, the people obtain large 
crops from it. In a country so densely peopled there 
could not be many large farms, and the majority of 
the farmers cultivate what would not be more than 
a garden in America ; but the system of agriculture 
is not surpassed by that of any country in the world 
Flax-raising is the principal occupation of the farm- 
ers ; but grasses and roots receive particular attention. 
Horses, cattle, and sheep are raised in great numbers. 

“ The manufactures of Belgium are very celebrated. 


1 1 6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


The laces of Brussels and Mechlin (Malines) have the 
highest reputation. Linen goods, carpets, woollens, 
cottons, hosiery, are largely produced. The foreign 
and domestic commerce of Belgium, largely carried 
on through the port of Antwerp, is extensive. 

41 Belgium is a flat country, as we have said. There 
are no mountains, though in the provinces of Liege 
and Brabant the American traveller will find a variety 
of scenery similar to that in the eastern part of Massa- 
chusetts and Connecticut. This portion of Belgium 
is a beautiful garden. 

“The government, according to the charter of 1831, 
Is a constitutional, representative, and hereditary mon- 
archy ; that is, it has a constitution, a parliament, and 
the oldest son of the king is his successor. The king’s 
person is declared to be sacred, and his ministers, in- 
stead of himself, are held responsible for the govern- 
ment acts. The legislative branch consists of a senate 
and a chamber of representatives ; but the king must 
sign their acts before they can become laws. 

“ The members of both houses of the legislature 
arc chosen by the people, and are called deputies. 
Only citizens who pay a certain amount of direct 
taxes can vote. The deputies who live out of the 
town in which the session is held are paid sixty-two 
dollars a month. They are elected for four years, 
half every avo years. The political privileges of the 
people are only less than those of our own country. 

“The present king is Leopold I.* lie is seventy- 
four years old, and for the last fifty years has been a 

* Leopold I. died Dec. 10, 1S65, and was succeeded by his 
6on, Leopold II. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. Iiy 

man of mark in Europe. He was for some time in 
the service of the Emperor of Russia, and went to 
England with the allied sovereigns, in 1S14, where 
he became acquainted with, and afterwards married, 
the Princess Charlotte, daughter of George IV. ; but 
she died within two years. In 1S30 Leopold was 
elected King of Greece ; but he finally refused the 
crown, because the conditions he made were not 
complied with. In 1S31 he was elected King of the 
Belgians, and was crowned the same year. The 
next year he married Louise, the daughter of Louis 
Philippe, King of France. Leopold, Duke of Bra- 
bant, will succeed him. He has several other -sons 
and daughters, among them Marie Charlotte, wife 
of Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, who has been 
elected Emperor of Mexico. Leopold is one of the 
richest men in Europe. 

- “ Nearly all the people of Belgium are Roman 
Catholics, there being but about thirteen thousand 
Protestants and two thousand Jews ; but the largest 
religious liberty is allowed to all sects. A portion 
of the salary of ministers of all denominations is paid 
from the national treasury. While the Catholics re- 
ceive seven hundred thousand dollars from the state, 
the Protestants obtain eleven thousand, and the Jews 
two thousand dollars. The salary paid by the state 
to the archbishop is four thousand two hundred dol- 
lars, and to a bishop about three thousand. 

“ The history of Flanders is substantially the early 
history of Belgium. Many changes were made in the 
territorial limit of the country from time to time, in 
the hands of its different owners. The first mention 


ii8 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


of this country in history is in the time of Julius Cassar, 
who conquered the Low Countries, and the Romans 
held them till the year 400, when they were joined to 
the empire of the Franks. They formed part of the 
vast realm of Charlemagne. 

“ After the Romans had abandoned the territory, 
several independent nobles established themselves in 
the southern part of the Netherlands. Among them 
were the Counts of Flanders, who became very power- 
ful and influential men. They are to be regarded as 
the founders of the Flemish provinces. Having no 
male heirs, their possessions went to the house of 
Burgundy. Philip, Duke of Burgundy, married Mar- 
garet, Countess of Flanders, and, upon the death of 
her father, she brought to him the country of Flanders 
and other valuable possessions. 

“ During the succeeding hundred years, Namur, 
Brabant, Limbourg, Hainault, Holland, Zealand, 
Friesland, and Luxembourg, all of which now belong 
to Holland and Belgium, were added to the territories 
of the Dukes of Burgundy. At this period appears 
the powerful but rash and cruel Charles the Bold. 
His life was spent in open or secret strife with Louis 
XI., king of France, whose suzerain, or nominal vas- 
sal, he was. The king was instrumental in stirring up 
rebellion in several cities of the Low Countries, which 
the duke put down with his accustomed severity. 

“ Charles, in revenge, having leagued with some 
discontented French princes, Louis secretly fomented 
an insurrection in Liege. When the blow was first 
struck, the crafty king was paying a visit to his 
cousin of Burgundy, as he called the duke, who, 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. II9 

on hearing the news, retained his sovereign as a pris- 
oner, threatening to kill him for his perfidy. The 
cunning prince tried to pacify his enraged host. He 
was but partially successful, and could only obtain his 
liberty by submitting to the most humiliating terms. 
The duke compelled his royal guest to march in per- 
son with him to the revolted city, and assist his vassal 
in putting down the rebellion he had himself instigated. 

“ Charles the Bold was slain in battle, and his death 
ending his line of dukes, Louis seized upon several of 
the provinces. Mary, the daughter of Charles, was 
married to the Archduke of Austria, who claimed the 
Burgundian provinces in right of his wife. He ob- 
tained possession, however, of only Franche-comte and 
the Low Countries. The conflicting claims for these 
territories kept Austria and France at war for a long 
time. 

' “ The Archduke Maximilian, who married Mary of 
Burgundy, became Emperor of Germany on the death 
of his father. He had two children by her, Philip and 
Margaret, the former of whom married Joanna, daugh- 
ter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. They were 
the parents of Charles V., Emperor of Germany and 
King of all Spain. During this period the Low Coun- 
tries were governed by Maximilian, Philip, and 
Charles, deriving their right from Charles the Bold. 

“ Charles V. was succeeded as King of Spain by 
Philip II., his son, who also inherited the Flemish 
provinces. Mr. Motley’s incomparable History of 
the Rise of the Dutch Republic, commences at this 
point, with the abdication of Charles V., and the ac- 
cession of Philip II. I hope all who have not read 


120 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


this work will do so, as many of you can, here in the 
midst of the scenes described in its glowing pages. 

“ Philip was a bigot and a tyrant, and his despotism, 
which included the establishment of the Inquisition, 
drove the people to madness, and provoked them to 
rebellion. During the reign of Charles V. the Refor- 
mation had made considerable progress in Germany, 
and its principles were firmly plarfted in the Low 
Countries. Philip imposed upon himself the duty of 
rooting out the obnoxious doctrines, and of restoring 
the supremacy of the Catholic church. 

“ After his accession to the Netherlands, the king 
remained four years in the country, and then departed 
for Spain, from which he did not again return. He 
made his sister regent, and she was to be assisted by 
Granvelle, Bishop of Arras. William, Prince of 
Orange, and the Counts Egmont and Horn, were asso- 
ciated with the bishop as councillors, but they had no 
real power or influence. 

“ The despotic conduct of Granvelle, and the at- 
tempt on his part to introduce the Inquisition, by order 
of his royal master, excited the most desperate oppo- 
sition. The people organized under the lead of the 
Prince of Orange, and Egmont and Horn, and an in- 
surrection broke out in Flanders, in 1^66. These 
Protestant rebels have been styled iconoclasts, or im- 
age-breakers, for they broke into the churches, over- 
turned the images, defaced the valuable paintings, and 
otherwise injured the church property. 

“ The famous Cathedral of Notre Dame, which you 
can see from the deck of the ship, was ravaged by the 
mob. The statues of Christ, the Virgin, and the Saints 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 121 


were hurled from their pedestals ; the rich paintings, 
the choicest works of Flemish art, were cut to pieces; 
the organs were torn down, the altars overturned, and 
the gold and silver vessels used in the mass were car- 
ried off. For three days these tumultuous proceedings 
continued, and were suppressed only when the fury of 
the mob had ceased, by the Knights of the Golden 
Fleece, of which the Prince of Orange was a member. 
The career of this remarkable man is closely identified 
with the history of the Netherlands during this period. 
He was opposed to the violence of the mob, not only 
from prudential motives, but because his own religious 
views were not yet in sympathy with the Protestant 
reformers, though he afterwards fully embraced their 
doctrines. 

“ The patriots of the Low Countries were, in the 
beginning of these troubles, both Catholic and Prot- 
estant ; but the sacrilegious conduct of the mob de- 
tached the former from the cause, and as the Catholics 
were more numerous in the southern than in the north- 
ern provinces, they finally turned the scale in favor of 
Philip II. in their own section, while the people of 
Holland established their independence. 

“ Philip then sent the savage and relentless Duke 
of Alva to suppress the new religion in the Nether- 
lands. Egmont and Horn were beheaded at Brussels, 
and the Prince of Orange retired into Germany, ap- 
pealing to the Protestant princes for assistance. With 
an army he had raised in Germany, and with money 
obtained there and of Queen Elizabeth of England, 
he marched into the Netherlands, and called his peo- 
ple to arms. A long and terrible war ensued, in 


122 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


which the Dutch suffered up to the limit of human 
endurance, and displayed a heroism which is without 
parallel in the history of the nations. 

“ The Prince of Orange was created Stadtholder ; 
almost unlimited powers were conferred upon him, 
and for years he struggled against the most stupen- 
dous obstacles. The Dutch, being a maritime peo- 
ple, established a navy, which inflicted many heavy 
blows upon the Spanish power. The severity of Alva 
so goaded the Netherlander that the whole country 
was in arms against him. He failed to reduce them to 
subjection, and was recalled. His next two eminent 
successors died of fever, and the Duke of Parma was 
then sent as regent of Philip. In 1579 the northern 
provinces declared their independence, and established 
the Dutch Republic, or the Seven United Provinces, 
of which the Prince of Orange was stadtholder. 

“ Philip was so incensed at the success of the Prince 
of Orange that he offered a large reward to any one 
who would take his life, and a fanatical Burgundian 
shot him at Delft, in 1584. With this event Mr. Mot- 
ley closes his History of the Rise of the Dutch Re- 
public. 

“ Belgium adhered to Spain, or, rather, the Duke 
of Parma succeeded in reducing it to subjection after 
the murder of the stadtholder. In 1598 Philip gave 
the Flemish provinces to his daughter Isabella. But on 
her death without children, the country again reverted 
to Spain. After more than a century of strife, includ- 
ing the Thirty Years’ War, the repeated quarrels be- 
tween England and Spain, and France and Spain, and 
the War of the Spanish Succession, during which 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 23 

period the Low Countries were often the battle-ground, 
Belgium passed into the hands of the Austrians. 

“In settling up the disastrous strife of the century, 
the treaty-making powers had given several of the 
Belgian fortresses to Holland, in order to check the 
ambition of France, and the Dutch closed the Scheldt. 
After an interval of peace under Maria Theresa of 
Austria, her son, Joseph II., attempted to break 
through portions of the treaties, and obliged the troops 
of Holland to evacuate his territory, but he could not 
open the river. Fie was rash in his proceedings, and 
a rebellion was organized against him. 

“About this time commenced the French Revolu- 
tion, whose influence extended to the Low Countries, 
and in 1789 the Austrian garrison at Brussels was 
forced to surrender. But the people were not united, 
and their dissensions enabled the Austrians to regain 
their power. The French Directory sent an army to 
assist the Belgians, the Austrians were driven from 
the country, and Belgium was incorporated with 
France. 

“Napoleon, while he controlled the destinies of 
France, devoted much attention to the Flemish prov- 
inces, and especially to the city of Antwerp. When 
you go on shore you will see immense docks and forti- 
fications built by him. He intended to make it a 
great naval station, and it would have been of vast 
importance to him in carrying out his plans for the 
invasion of England. The works on the opposite side 
of *he river, called ‘ Tote de Flandre,’ were the be- 
ginning of an immense military town. During this 
period England was almost continually at war with 


124 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


France, and several expeditions were sent against 
Holland and Belgium. 

“When Napoleon abdicated, the Flemish Provinces 
were restored to Austria ; but when the allies who 
had overthrown Napoleon finally disposed of their con- 
quests, Holland and Belgium were united, and given 
to the Stadtholder, who had adhered to the allies. He 
was styled William I., King of the Netherlands. 

“ The two sections could not agree ; the Dutch re- 
garded Belgium as a conquered province, and were 
not at all conciliatory in their treatment of the new 
acquisition. The Belgians were essentially French 
in their habits, and disliked the Dutch. In 1830 
they revolted against their masters, the insurrection 
extended to the principal cities, and the king called 
upon the great powers who had given him the coun- 
try. A congress assembled in London at his request, 
which, however, decreed the independence of Bel- 
gium. 

“ The people first elected a son of Louis Philippe 
king ; but he declined, and Leopold was then chosen. 
King William, of Holland, protested, and in spite of 
the treaty, held the city of Antwerp. A French army 
was sent to the assistance of Leopold ; Antwerp ca- 
pitulated, but it was not till 1839 that Holland made a 
treaty with Belgium, acknowledging her indepen- 
dence. • Leopold strengthened his position by marry- 
ing a daughter of the King of France; and his son 
and heir, the Duke of Brabant, was married to Marie, 
Archduchess of Austria. 

“ In 1848, when Louis Philippe was overthrown in 
France, some disturbance occurred, and Leopold 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 25 

offered to abdicate ; but his proposition was not ac- 
cepted, and he wisely and skilfully led his gov ernment 
through all the troubles of that excitable period. He 
is a wise and prudent statesman, and as such has had 
a great deal of influence in Europe. 

“ Now, young gentlemen, I trust you will not be 
satisfied with this meagre sketch of the interesting 
country we are now visiting, but will read up the sub- 
ject so that you will understand it better.” 

Mr. Mapps left his position, and the studies of the 
morning were commenced. After dinner the usual 
shore liberty was given, the allowances paid in 
French francs, a supply of which had been procured 
in London, and the students were landed. Instead of 
going on shore immediately, Dr. Winstock and Paul 
paid a visit to the Victoria and Albert. 

At the gangway they found the steward of the ship, 
who volunteered to conduct them through the vessel. 
There was nothing strikingly peculiar in the exterior 
of the yacht, except that she had large, square win- 
dows, composed of a single pane of glass, in her upper 
saloons and cabins , : but the steward informed the vis- 
itors that these were replaced in heavy weather by 
wooden shutters, having only the small, round ports 
in them. 

Between the paddle-boxes was a large open space, 
covered over by the hurricane deck. On each side, 
abaft the wheels, was a small apartment, or pavilion, 
with large glass windows, elegantly cushioned and 
furnished, where the royal passengers could sit in 
rough weather, and look out upon the sea. On the 
hurricane deck was a spacious dining-saloon. 


126 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


From the open space between the wheels, the stew- 
ard conducted Dr. Winstock and Paul to a passage- 
way, at the after end of which was a saloon called 
the breakfast- room. Its length corresponded with the 
width of the vessel, and one side was round, being 
formed at the stern of the vessel, in which were sev- 
eral of the large square windows, so that the apart- 
ment was very light and pleasant. 

On each side of the passage-way were several apart- 
ments, arranged in suits. Returning to the open space 
amidships, the party entered the forward room on the 
starboard side. 

“ This is the room of the first lady in waiting,” said 
the steward, as they went in. 

“ I should say the first lady in waiting was well 
accommodated,” said Paul, laughing, as he glanced at 
the spacious apartment. 

“ But she may be a countess,” replied the steward, 
leading the way to the next room. “ This is the 
queen’s bed-chamber.” 

There was a large bed in this room, which looked 
just like anybody’s bed ; but it was by no means so 
elegant as the young republican had anticipated. 
The apartment was rich and costly in its furnishings, 
but there was none of the magnificence which one 
would have expected to find in the room of a queen. 

“ This is the dressing-room of Prince Albert,” added 
the steward, entering the next room. “ Her majesty 
allows no one to occupy it since the death of his 
highness.” 

Beyond this, on the same side, were shown sev- 
eral rooms appropriated to the use of the princesses 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 27 

They corresponded in style with those of the queen ; 
but in nothing connected with the yacht was there any 
gaudy display. The party went to the opposite side, 
and were shown several rooms like those they had just 
seen, which were occupied by the princes. The for- 
ward room on the port side was the drawing-room. 
It was larger than any other except the breakfast-room, 
but did not appear to be extravagantly furnished •, 
everything seemed to be provided for comfort rather 
than show. 

The conductor then led them forward, where, on 
each side of a passage, were four rooms, each provid- 
ed wdth a handsome, narrow bedstead, which the 
steward said were for the use of the lords and ladies 
in waiting. Forward of these, in the bow of the ves- 
sel, was the kitchen, a three-cornered room like that 
on the Young America, with a large galley or cook- 
ing-range in the middle. 

Below the royal apartments, in the after part of the 
ship, were the cabins for the servants. As the steward 
led his guests towards the gangway, Dr. Winstock 
took out his purse. 

“Never mind that just now,” interposed their con- 
ductor, “ especially as there is the captain.” 

Paul wondered if the doctor intended to insult a 
person of so much consequence as the steward of the 
queen’s yacht must be, by offering him money. He 
glanced at the captain, who was a fine-looking man, 
in naval uniform, as the steward led the way to the 
accommodation steps. The doctor slyly slipped a 
couple of English shillings into the man’s hand, and 
they w’ent down into their boat. 


128 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 

“ What did you give him, sir?” asked Paul. 

“ Two shillings.” 

“ Well, it seems to me the steward of any American 
passenger steamer would be angry if you gave him 
two shillings for his services.” 

“ If I had not met these men before, I should not 
have dared to do it ; but it is expected,” replied the 
doctor. 

The boat pulled up to the Quai Vandyck, and Paul 
for the first time put his foot upon the continent of 
Europe. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 


CHAPTER VIII. 

ANTWERP AND RUBENS. 

W HERE shall we go first, Paul?” asked Dr. 
Winstock, when they landed upon the quay. 
“I don’t know, sir; I think I shall be interested 
wherever we go. This Is a big city — isn’t it? ” 
u Its population is hardly more than half of what 
it was in the days of its greatest prosperity. In the 
days of Charles V. it is said that twenty-five hundred 
vessels were frequently seen at one time in the river. 
It had two hundred thousand inhabitants, and was 
then the richest and most thriving commercial city in 
Europe. You perceive that this long line of quays 
affords plenty of wharf room. Indeed the name of 
the city is said to be derived from a Flemish phrase, 
‘ aen't wer f,’ which means on the wharf, or on the 
quay.” 

“ Mr. Motley tells another story about its name. 
He says the people claim that the city is very old, and 
that a giant by the name of Antigonus, established 
himself on the river at this place, and set up a kind 
of custom-house. He required half the merchandise 
of those who went up the river. He used to cut off' 
the right hands of those who attempted to smuggle, 
and throw them into the river. In this way Hand 


DIKES AND DITCHES. OR 


J TO 

werpen, or hand throwing, came to be the name of 
the place,” said the young commander. 

“ I suppose that story is as true now as it ever was. 
But where shall we go?” asked the doctor. 

“ I want to get a little nearer to that Cathedral,” 
replied Paul. 

“ That is really the most noted thing in Antwerp, 
and we will walk up there ; and I think we shall be 
able to see the pictures on the church, which are 
required to produce an income. The Cathedral used 
to be open till one o’clock, free to the public, but the 
curtains were carefully drawn over these great works 
of art ; after this hour visitors were admitted upon 
the payment of one franc, and the pictures were 
exhibited. Doubtless the same regulation is in 
force now.” 

A walk of a few moments brought them to the 
Place Verte, a little park enclosed, with a colossal 
statue of Rubens in the centre. 

“ Everything in Antwerp is Rubens,” said the doc- 
tor. “ The people believe in him still, and almost 
worship his memory.” 

“ Why should they ? He was only a great painter 
— was he?” added Paul. 

• “He was more than that: he was quite distin- 
guished as a statesman and a diplomatist. He was 
ambassador to England, Holland, and other countries. 
His celebrity as an artist, and his influence with the 
crowned heads of several nations, caused him to be 
regarded with deep interest by the people. He lived 
in a splendid mansion, for the immense income which 
he derived from his pencil enabled him to support an 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 131 


elegant establishment. He had a great number of 
pupils, and at one period in his career they painted 
no inconsiderable part of his pictures. He had orders 
from all the crowned heads of Europe, and in many 
of his works he could only make the designs and give 
the finishing touches to them. He was very indus- 
trious, and painted rapidly, as he must have done to 
produce so many pictures.” 

“ He humbugged his customers then — didn’t he?” 

“ His assistants did only the heavy work, while 
Rubens furnished the design, and gave the work its 
finishing touches. The celebrated sculptors do not 
perform all the drudgery of chiselling out a statue. 
Wherever you go in Antwerp, you will hear of 
Rubens. You will find his works in all the galler- 
ies, you will visit his house in the Rue Rubens, his 
pictures will be shown to you in every church, and 
you will see his tomb in St. Jacques.” 

“ They have Rubens on the brain, as we should say 
at home,” laughed Paul. 

“ Yes, and they have it badly. From this point you 
have a good view of the Cathedral,” added the doctor, 
as they paused near the statue of Rubens, where they 
could see the building over the tops of the trees. 

“ The steeple is very handsome. It is of the most 
beautiful and delicate workmanship you will see.” 

“ I should think it would blow down.” 

“ It is banded together with a framework of iron, 
and the stones are held together with copper bolts.” 

“How high is it?” asked Paul, as he gazed up at 
the lofty spire. 

“ There you have me, Paul ! I don’t know. In 


i3 2 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


Murray’s Guide-Book it is set down at four hundred 
and three feet. The man up in the tower there says 
it is four hundred and sixty-six. Other authorities put 
it at less than four hundred. My guide assured me 
it was one hundred and forty-seven French metres in 
height ; but this, reduced to English measure, would 
give four hundred and eighty-three feet. My own 
idea is, that Murray is right,” replied Dr. Winstock, 
as they walked over to the church. 

“ What’s this?” asked Paul, pointing to a beautiful 
iron canopy in Gothic style, near the foot of the 
church tower. 

“ That’s a draw-well. It is the handiwork of 
Quentin Matsys.” 

“ I don’t know him.” 

“ He was a blacksmith until he was twenty years 
old, when he fell in love with die fair daughter of a 
painter. The story goes that the father would not 
permit his daughter to marry any man that was not 
an artist, and the blacksmith abandoned his anvil for 
the easel. He had a genius for art, and soon painted 
better than his masters. He won his bride, and 
achieved a great reputation in his new art. The 
picture of The Misers, which you saw at Windsor 
Castle, was executed by him.” 

They bought a couple of tickets and were admitted 
to the church. The interior was grand and imposing; 
but the chief attraction was the pictures, which were 
now unveiled, and a small audience was present 
examining them. . Several artists were making copies 
of them In the south transept hangs Reubens’s ma» 
terpiece, The Descent from the Cross. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 133 


Paul did not pretend to be a connoisseur in paint- 
ings, and could neither understand nor appreciate the 
fine writing he read about them in books, or the “hifa- 
lutin ” which affected men bestowed upon them ; but 
in the pi'esence of the grand old painting, he was 
awed and silenced. It produced a deep impression 
upon his mind and heart, and for the first time in his 
life he realized the sublime in art. The figure of The 
Dead Christ seemed to be real, so painfully natural 
were the hanging head of the Savior, and the relaxed 
muscles of the body. The young student gazed long 
and earnestly at the picture, studying it as a whole 
and in detail. 

It is said that Rubens paid this picture as the price 
of the land on which he erected his house in Antwerp. 
In the north transept of the Cathedral hangs its com- 
panion piece, The Elevation of the Cross ; but its 
reputation is far inferior to his masterpiece, grand as 
it is. 

Paul walked about the church, and examined other 
pictures and works of art; and then, after paying the 
keeper of the tower a franc, they commenced the long 
ascent to the spire and chimes. 

“ These churches and these pictures are certainly 
very fine,” said Paul, as they stopped at a window to 
rest. “ We don’t have them in our country. There 
isn’t a church there that will compare, with any of * 
these cathedrals, to say nothing of the celebrated pic- 
tures, such as we have just seen.” 

“ That’s very true ; and I am thankful that our peo- 
ple make a better use of their money. Here in Bel- 
gium, as in most countries of Europe, poverty is the 
12 




DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


curse of the people. They do not receive the reward 
of their labor. 'The government and the church take 
the lion’s shave of their earnings, and thus keep them 
down. This Cathedral was commenced in 1352, and 
finished in 1411, though another spire was to have 
been built. Nearly sixty years were employed in its 
erection, and probably it cost millions of dollars. Of 
course the people had to pay for it. The greater por- 
tion of the expense of it lies dormant here, it being 
merely an ornamental structure. It gratifies people’s 
tastes, it is true ; but God could be acceptably wor- 
shipped in a less costly edifice. If the capital locked 
up in this church had been invested in schools, col- 
leges, and other educational institutions, it would be 
a blessing to the country. What is paid in Europe 
to build these grand structures for worship, and to 
support the trappings of royalty, is in our own coun- 
try appropriated to public schools ; and the nation 
reaps the benefit of them every year of its existence.” 

“ That’s so,” replied Paul, emphatically ; “ and 
when any foreigner says anything to me again about 
our want of costly cathedrals, I shall call his atten- 
tion to our schools.” 

“ That’s right ; you are an American to the core,” 
laughed the doctor. 

“ But I don’t see any reason why we should not 
• have as great painters in the United States as in 
Europe,” added Paul. 

“ I do see the reason. Probably we have just as 
much talent for art in our nation, but the people find 
that it doesn’t pay so well as developing the resources 
of a new country. When it is possible in America 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. I35 

or a man to win the wealth and distinction which 
Rubens won, we shall be as successful in art as 
Europe has been ; for Washington Allston, Benjamin 
West, and others have demonstrated the capacity of our 
people in this direction. The encouragement which 
artists receive makes the men. There are not many 
persons in our country who are willing to pay ten, 
fifty, or a hundred thousand dollars for a picture. So 
much money in a painting is dead capital among an 
energetic people who need all they can get to carry 
on agricultural, commercial, and manufacturing enter- 
prises.” 

“ Of course people will follow that calling which 
pays best, either in money or in reputation.” 

“ Certainly, "md the number of Dutch and Flemish 
artists assures us that painting has been a cherished 
art in the Low Countries. Vandyck was another 
celebrated painter of this country. He was born in 
Antwerp, and was a pupil of Rubens. There is a 
story that The Descent from the Cross was thrown 
down by the carelessness of a student, and badly 
injured by the fall. Vandyck, who was then a pupil 
of the great Flemish master, undertook to repair the 
mischief with his brush, and did it so well that 
Rubens declared the work was superior to his own. 
This story is current in the guide-books, and in the 
mouths of the commissionaires , who point out the 
places on the face of the Virgin and on the arm of 
one of the Marys where the pupil touched it up. 
lint there is no truth in it, since the picture was hung 
up in the Cathedral before Vandyck entered the studio 
of Rubens.” 


136 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ I suppose these people like to tell good stories, 
whether true or not.” 

“ Yes ; and you will find a man up in this steeple 
who believes that his spire is the tallest in the 
world,” added Dr. Winstock. 

They continued on their long ascent till they 
reached the region of the bells, where they found the 
attendant who glories in magnifying the wonders of 
the chimes and the spire. He had a small furnished 
apartment, which the visitors were invited to enter, 
and where he dispensed refreshments, of which no 
total abstinence man coidd partake. The doctor, 
knowing what the man had to say, skilfully turned 
his attention away from his favorite topic, until they 
were sufficiently refreshed — not by the eau de vie and 
noyau , but by the rest — to explore the bell towers. 

The bells composing the chime were fixed in the 
lofts, which were filled with wires, cranks, and other 
machinery, used in operating them. In one place 
there was a bank of keys like those of an organ, 
where a person could play any tune he pleased upon 
the bells. The keeper had a history to rebate of each 
hell, many of which were contributed by kings, 
princes, and lords, and bore their names. In anoth- 
er tower there was an immense bell, at the baptism 
of which — for church bells are duly consecrated in 
Catholic countries — the Emperor Charles V. stood 
as godfather. It requires sixteen men to ring it ; but 
its peals rouse the Antwerpers only on great occa- 
sions, such as a visit of the king. 

Dr. Winstock and Paul waited among the chimes 
till they had played the hourly tune, and then contin- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 137 

ued their progress to the heights above. The custo- 
dian of the steeple- said there were six hundred and 
sixteen steps from the bottom to the top, and a person 
does not care to make the journey more than once in 
his lifetime. The winding stairs passed close to the 
Gothic openings of the tower, and they had an oppor- 
tunity closely to observe the delicate workmanship of 
the structure, which Charles V. said should be kept 
in a glass case, and Napoleon compared to Mechlin 
lace. 

At last, out of breath, they reached the highest point 
of the spire, and looked far down upon the lofty roof 
of the church. The buildings of the city looked like 
card houses, and a company of Belgian soldiers, march- 
ing in the streets, appeared like the pygmies who in- 
habited them. In the distance could be seen the towers 
of Ghent, Brussels, Mechlin, and Flushing, the wan- 
dering Scheldt, and the low country for a vast dis- 
tance. The magnificent view, and the information it 
afforded, amply repaid them for the toil of ascending, 
and Paul made the Cathedral the subject of an entire 
letter to Miss Grace Arbuckle. 

It was easier to go down than to come up, and 
when they had passed out into the Place Verte, the 
doctor declared that he must lunch before he walked 
any farther. The Hotel de rEurope faced the Park, 
and Paul was desirous of seeing the interior of it. 
They entered through an archway, there being no 
doors on the street. There was a spacious area, or 
court-yard, through which alone the house could be 
reached. In other respects the establishment was 
similar to those in the United States. 

* 


12 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


138 


On the continent, as in England, none but working 
people take breakfast much before nine o’clock, and 
the hour varies from this time till noon. Of late 
years the practice in American hotels corresponds 
with that of European ones. In the dining-room of 
the Hotel de l’Europe there are many small tables, and 
one or two long ones, the latter being used at table 
d’hote, which is served at five o’clock. A hotel bill is 
added, to give the reader an idea of the prices : — 


“HOTEL DE L’EUROPE. 
Place Vcrte. 


Aout 


Anvers. 

Note a M. Smith, 

Chambre No. 40, A. 

Fr. Cen. 

. £ Poulet et Salade. 

3.00 

1 l^he Complet, 

. 1 .50 

Appartement, 

2.50 

Bougie, .... 

. .50 

Service, 

. . I. OO 

. 1 Dejeune et Bifstek, 

. 3.OO 

1 Bifstek, Pomme de Terre, 

1.50 

13.00 

Pour Acquit, • 

J. 

YV. Barber.” 


“ One The Complet ” consists of simply tea and 
bread and butter, and as a franc is about twenty cents, 
its price is thirty cents. A centime is the hundredth 
of a franc, and fifty centimes is ten cents. If the guest 
adds a beefsteak and potatoes, or any other dish, to his 
meal, it just doubles the cost. The “ bougie ” is a 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 39 

candle, which is charged all over Europe, at from a 
quarter of a franc up to a franc. The traveller also 
pays for his soap, or provides it himself. When an 
“ old stager” pays a franc for a candle, or a piece of 
soap, he rolls the part unused up in a paper and puts 
it into his trunk ; and, if at his next stopping-place, he 
finds a candle in his room, he orders f he waiter to re- 
move it, and will not submit to be charged for it. 

Table d’hote is a more formal meal, and in some 
large hotels much parade is made over it. The bill 
of fare is usually very meagre compared with that of 
the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York, and every dish 
in the programme is presented to the guest. The 
charge for this meal, at first-class houses outside of 
Paris, is usually four francs, or eighty cents. 

Dr. Winstock and Paul took a seat in the Salle a 
7na7tger. The student was principally anxious to 
know what they had to eat, and in what manner they 
served it, for he was of an inquiring mind, and fond of 
making comparisons. The most common lunch con- 
sists of cold chicken and salad, the latter being simply 
lettuce prepared with oil and vinegar. Paul was dis- 
appointed, for the lunch differed hardly a shade from 
the same thing at home. Even the gentlemanly Bel- 
gian waiter, dressed in seemly black, spoke good Eng- 
lish, and the “ demi-poulet ” was wasted upon him. 

“ Where shall we go now, Paul ? ” asked the doctor, 
as they left the dining-room. 

“ I leave that to you, sir. You seem to be quite at 
home here,” replied Paul. 

“ We will take a carriage, and we can do up the 
city in a few hours.” 


140 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


A one-borse barouche was called, and a commis- 
sionaire — a kind of guide or interpreter, who assists 
strangers in doing their business, or in seeing the 
sights of the city — presented himself to he employed ; 
but Dr. Winstock, who was familiar with the place, 
declined his services. 

“ What was that man ? ” asked Paul, as the carriage 
drove off to the Rue des Scours Noires, where the Do- 
minican Church of St. Paul is located. 

“ He is a commissiotiaire , interpreter, or valet de 
-place. Many travellers regard such men as swin- 
dlers ; but for my own part I have found them very 
useful. When I first visited Antwerp I employed one. 

I found him intelligent and gentlemanly, and. so far 
as I could judge, not disposed to swindle me himself 
or to let others do so. I paid him five francs a day, 
and I am sure he saved me more money than I paid 
him, besides taking me in the easiest and most con- 
venient way to the various points in the city.” 

“ I should think such men would be very necessary, 
especially to those who cannot speak the language.” 

“ In Amsterdam and Rotterdam I should have been 
on my beam-ends without them. I never could im- 
agine where they obtained their bad name, unless it 
was from Englishmen, who are generally afraid of 
being cheated, and take the alarm before there is any 
real danger.” 

The driver stopped before the Church of St. Paul, 
and the passengers alighted. There was nothing 
worthy of note in the church ; but outside of it, in a 
kind of garden, one of the most singular and remark- 
able exhibitions is open to the visitor. It is called 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 141 

“ Calvary,” and is a representation of the “ several 
stages,” as they are termed, in the life of Christ. Ai| 
artificial mound is raised on the side next to the church 
edifice, which is covered with a kind of rock-work, in 
imitation of Mount Calvary. In various parts of the 
area are placed the statues of saints, angels, patriarchs, 
and prophets. 

On the summit of the mound is represented the 
crucifixion, with a figure of the Savior on the cross. 
At the foot of it is the sepulchre, which is claimed to 
be a perfect copy of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, 
though travellers who have seen it say it bears no 
resemblance whatever to the original. In the tomb, 
on a kind of shelf, rests the crucified Christ, repre- 
sented by a figure clothed in silk and muslin ! 

Near the tomb an ideal of Purgatory is exhibited, 
consisting of wood carvings. The making-up of the 
scene appears to be a kind of cage, like those one sees 
in a menagerie, with bars in front of it to prevent the 
escape of the unhappy mortals temporarily confined 
there. Within the den are carved and painted several 
figures of men, in the midst of darting, leaping flames, 
upon whose .faces there is an expression of intense 
anguish. Doubtless the intention of those who con- 
ceived this astounding exhibition was to impress upon 
the mind of the spectator the sufferings of the unre- 
pentant wicked. It is hardly possible that this effect 
could ever have been produced upon the minds of 
sensible men. The spectacle is not only in exceed- 
ingly bad taste, but it is positively repulsive, not to say 
sacrilegious. 


143 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


Such was the opinion of Paul Kendall, who could 
hardly conceal his disgust ; and ten minutes in the 
place exhausted his patience. He was silent, so deep 
was his feeling of dissatisfaction, until he was again 
seated in the voiture. The next objects of interest 
were the docks and basins, which were reached after 
a short drive from St. Paul’s. They merely passed 
along the quay, making no stop, as the works could be 
seen from the carriage. 

“ That is the house of the Hanseatic League,” said 
the doctor, pointing to a large ancient building. 

“ What is the Hanseatic League?” asked Paul, who 
had never even heard of it. 

“ It was a commercial alliance between some of the 
cities of Germany for the protection and development 
of their trade. It had its origin in the thirteenth cen- 
tury, for the purpose of preventing piracy and ship- 
wreck, and to encourage commerce, and, indeed, all 
branches of industry. It established great warehouses 
or factories indifferent parts of Europe, and became an 
exceedingly powerful asssociation, so much so that it 
dictated the policy of sovereigns on their thrones, and 
even declared and carried on war with several of the 
powers of Europe. In the fourteenth century, the 
League defeated the King of Norway and Sweden. It 
unseated the King of Sweden, and gave his crown to 
another, and having declared war against Denmark, 
sent a fleet of two hundred and fifty ships, and 
thousands of troops to carry it on. In fact, the asso- 
ciation prepared for war with England, and Edward 
IV. made important concessions to avoid it. Of 


rOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 43 

course the crowned heads were jealous of its power 
and influence, and it was eventually broken up ; but it 
laid the foundation of the commercial policy of the 
nations. The League died out in 1630 ; but Ham- 
burg, Lubec, and Bremen formed a new one, under 
the name of the Hanse Towns; and Frankfort-on-the- 
Main afterwards joined them.” 

u I have heard of the Hanse Towns,” added Paul ; 
“ but I never knew what the term meant before.” 

“ The docks and basins here are mainly the work 
of Napoleon. The great conqueror intended to make 
Antwerp the first seaport of the north. The mouth 
of the Thames is less than a hundred miles from the 
mouth of the Scheldt, and he knew that, with a naval 
station equal to any in the .possession of England, he 
could, in time of war, cripple or destroy the commerce 
of his great rival. lie expended ten millions of dol- 
lars on these docks, basins, and fortifications. The 
English were alarmed, and in 1809 sent the Walcheren 
expedition, which obtained a foothold on that island, 
but were defeated by disease and death, for seven 
thousand British soldiers perished by marsh fever. 
By the peace of Paris in 1814, after the battle of 
Waterloo, it was stipulated that the dock-yards should 
be destroyed, for they were a standing threat to the 
maritime powers ; but these basins were preserved for 
commercial purposes. The largest one will accomodate 
thirty-four ships of the line.” 

The travellers continued on their way through some 
of the principal streets till they arrived at the Church 
of St. Jacques, which is richer in its ornaments than 
the Cathedral, containing exquisitely wrought marb'es. 


144 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


carved wood, painted glass. This magnificent church 
contains the burial vaults of the noble families of the 
city, and among them that of Rubens, which is 
marked by a white marble tablet with a long in- 
scription upon it, embedded in the pavement of his 
private chapel. The Holy Family, which forms the 
altar-piece of the church, was painted by the great 
master. In 1793, when the mob, incited by the 
furious spirit of the French Revolution, broke into 
the church, pillaging altars and tombs alike, that of 
Rubens was spared from desecration by the universal 
respect for his memory, though not another tomb in 
St. Jacques escaped their impious touch. 

The house of Rubens, situated in a street of the 
same name, was visited \ an outside view of the 
Bourse, or Exchange, the Hotel de Ville, or Town 
Hall, and of other public buildings, was obtained. 
The Citadel, built under the direction of the cruel 
Duke of Alva, to overawe the rebellious Antwerpers, 
was an object of interest. After the expulsion of 
the Spaniards in 1577, ^ ie P eo pl e 5 including those 
of high and low degree, men, women, and children, 
assisted in its demolition ; but it was speedily rebuilt, 
and has played an important part in subsequent 
sieges and insurrections. The city is surrounded by 
a continuous line of fortifications and ditches, extend- 
ing from a pqjnt on the river below the city to 
a point above it ; and outside of this line there are 
a number of detached forts to keep a hostile force 
from approaching near enough to the city to shell it. 

When the carriage reached the Quai Vandyck, most 
of the students had returned, and the boats were in 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 45 

waiting. They chattered like magpies about the won- 
ders they had seen. When Captain Kendall went on 
board, the mail-bag was handed to him, and the boys 
were eager to obtain their letters from home and else- 
where. 

“ A letter for you, Mr. Hamblin,” said the captain, 
as he handed the professor a formidable envelope, 
postmarked “ Anvers.” 

The learned gentleman seemed to be astonished, 
and bore the missive to'his state-room. 

13 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


I aG 


CHAPTER IX. 


TROUBLE ON BOARD THE JOSEPHINE. 

LMOST every one on board of the Josephine 



-Ta- had a letter, and some had two or three. Paul 
had one from Grace, dated at Paris, in which she ex- 
pressed a hope that, as she was to travel a few months 
with her father, she might see 'him in some of her 
wanderings. The young captain hoped so too, and 
he read the letter a second time. Probably he read it 
a third time after he went to his state-room, and a 
fourth before he retired ; for boys of his age are apt 
to be enthusiastic in this direction. 

Professor Stoute sat in the cabin. He had been all 
over Antwerp, and had walked a larger part of the 
distance than a man of his obesity could well endure 
in a warm day. Though he was very tired, he was 
very good-natured ; indeed, thus far, nothing had ever 
occurred to disturb his equanimity. He was exceed- 
ingly popular with the boys, and if he had fallen over- 
board, every one of them would have jumped in after 
him. No one ever thought of disobeying him, and 
consequently he never had any trouble. 

While he sat there fanning himself with a news- 
paper, Mr. Hamblin came out of his state-room with 
the huge envelope he had received in his hand. The 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. I47 

learned gentleman looked perplexed ; in fact, he al- 
ways wore an anxious expression, as though he were 
in constant fear that somebody would infringe upon 
his dignity, or that some of the boys did not believe 
he was the wisest man since the days of Solomon. 
He always walked just so ; he always sat just so ; he 
always moved just so. He never was guilty of using 
a doubtful expression. He was stern, rigid, and pre- 
cise, and from the beginning all the boys had disliked 
him ; but since he had behaved so unreasonably in the 
squall, they could hardly endure him. 

The lean professor walked up to the flit professor, 
and took a stand before him. He had removed the 
letter from the formidable envelope, and held it unfold- 
ed in his hand. He looked at the letter, and then at 
Mr. Stoute. The fat professor laughed, but the lean 
professor frowned. The jolly one knew just what the 
precise one wanted, but he waited patiently for the 
exordium. 

“Mr. Stoute, may I trouble you?” he began, after 
he had put himself in proper position. 

“ Certainly, sir,” replied the fat gentleman. 

“ If this letter had been written in Greek or Latin, 
I could have read it,” continued Mr. Hamblin, glan- 
cing at the sheet. 

“ Precisely so ; if it had been written in Greek or 
Latin I could not read it,” laughed Mr. Stoute. 

“ My French, as I have had occasion to acknowl- 
edge to you with deep humiliation, has been neglected 
for more important studies. This letter appears to 
have been written by some distinguished person, but 
unfortunately he has chosen to indite it in French.” 


148 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ In a word, you wish me to read it to you.’ 

“ That is what I was about to request of you. Maj 
I ask you to retire with me to our state-room ? ” con- 
tinued Professor Hamblin, glancing at the officers who 
were reading their letters in the cabin. 

“ Excuse me, Mr. Hamblin ; you forget that I carry 
round with me two hundred and odd pounds of flesh, 
besides bone and muscle, and that I have been on my 
feet three hours. I think, sir, if I knew this vessel was 
going to the bottom of the Scheldt this instant, I 
should go down with her rather than move. Have 
me excused, I pray you, and have compassion on mine 
infirmities,” laughed Mr. Stoute. 

Mr. Hamblin was vexed, but he gave the letter to 
his associate, who turned the sheet and glanced at the 
signature. 

“ Ah ! ” exclaimed he, looking at Mr. Hamblin. 

“What is it? Do me the favor to read it,” replied 
the learned gentleman, impatiently. 

“ It is from Monsieur Charles Rogier, the president 
of the council, and minister of foreign affairs,” added 
Professor Stoute. “ He is the man who organized the 
revolution of 1830, and the greatest man in Belgium, 
King Leopold excepted.” 

“ Is it possible ! ” ejaculated Mr. Hamblin, strug- 
gling to keep down the smile in which his vanity 
sought to manifest itself. “ What does he say?” 

“ He says that just as he was leaving Antwerp for 
Brussels, he heard that the very learned and distin- 
guished Professor Hamblin was on board of a vessel 
at anchor in the river.” 

“Does he say that?” asked the learned gentleman, 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. I49 

who, knowing that Mr. Stoute had a horrid vein of 
humor running through his fat frame, had, perhaps, 
a suspicion that he was making fun at his expense. 

“ That is precisely what it says.” 

“ How should Mr. Rogier know me ? ” queried 
Mr. Hamblin. 

“ I was about to read his explanation on that point : 
he says he heard of you through a friend who was in 
London a few weeks since. He wished to see you 
and extend to you a welcome to the kingdom of Bel- 
gium ; but the command of his royal master required 
him to leave Antwerp by the next train ; and he was 
deprived of the pleasure of extending to you in per- 
son the expression of his distinguished consideration. 
He hopes when you visit Brussels you will do him 
the honor to call upon him at the Palais de la Nation, 
Rue de la Soie.” 

“ Humph ! ” ejaculated the learned professor, pro- 
longing the interjection, and trying to suppress the 
smile which had a sad tendency to overwhelm his dig- 
nity. 

“You are fortunate, Mr. Hamblin,” added Mr. 
Stoute ; “ of course he will present you to King Leo- 
pold.” 

“ Possibly,” replied the Greek savant , stroking his 
chin, and frowning, to counteract the sinister influence 
of the smile he could not wholly overcome. 

Mr. Hamblin took the letter and read the signature. 
It was certainly “ Charles Rogier,” with a flourish ex- 
tensive enough for any great man. From the letter 
he glanced at the fat professor, who, being always 
good-natured, was so now. He could not get rid of a 
13 * 


*5o 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


lingering suspicion that his undignified associate was 
imposing upon him. It was a great misfortune that 
his own knowledge of French was so limited, and if 
it had not been so late, he would have gone on board 
of the ship to ask Professor Badois to translate the 
epistle to him. 

Instead of doing this, he went to the record book 
of the Josephine, and ascertained that Duncan was 
marked among the highest in French. Now Duncan 
was a very polite and respectful student, and Mr. 
Hamblin had a greater regard for him than for most 
of his companions. Finding this promising young 
man on deck, he invited him to the sacred precincts 
of the pYofessor’s state-room. Duncan was even more 
polite and obliging than usual. At the recpiest of his 
present host, who did not offer any explanations, he 
wrote out a translation of the important letter. Mr. 
Hamblin thanked him, and he retired. 

There was no material difference between the trans- 
lations of Mr. Stoute and Duncan, and the learned 
professor congratulated himself upon the distinction 
he had attained. His fame as a savant had preceded 
him across the ocean. The king’s chief minister 
courted his acquaintance. This was the homage 
which greatness paid to learning, and Mr. Hamblin 
was willing to believe that it was a deserved tribute. 
He soon worked himself into a flutter of excitement, 
in anticipation of being taken by the hand by the 
king’s chief minister, and he slept but little during 
tiie night, so absorbed was lie in the contemplation 
of the distinguished honor which awaited him. 

“Professor Hamblin is going to court,” said Dun- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 15! 

can to his old friend the captain, when they met on 
deck after supper. 

“ To court whom ? ” laughed Paul. 

“ He has had an invitation to go to court to see the 
big bugs. I translated a letter for him from the min- 
ister of foreign affairs ; and I suppose he’s about the 
biggest toad in the Belgian puddle,” added Duncan. 
“ You won’t be able to touch him with a ten-foot pole 
after that.” 

“ We shall get along very well with him, if we 
only do our duty,” said Paul. 

“The fellows are not very fond of him; and if he 
puts on any more airs, they won’t be able to stand it.” 

“Why, what’s the matter, Ben?” asked Paul, anx- 
iously, for generally everything had gone on so well 
on board of the Josephine, that he dreaded any 
trouble. 

“ O, nothing, nothing!” laughed Duncan; “only 
the fellows don’t like him.” 

“ Ben, there’s something up,” said Paul, earnestly. 
“ If the fellows think anything at all of me, they 
won’t make any trouble. If I don’t complain of Mr. 
Hamblin, they needn’t.” 

“ I don’t find any fault with him myself,” protested 
Ben. “ I don’t like him, but I have always got along 
very well with him.” 

“What did you mean by mentioning this matter to 
me, Ben?” asked Paul. 

“Nothing; only I shouldn’t be surprised if the fel- 
lows were to haze the venerable patriarch a little in 
a quiet way. They are all down upon him.” 

“ I am sorry for that. I hope all the fellows will 


152 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


do their duty, and not get into any scrapes, replied 
Paul, very seriously. 

“ I am sorry, but I can’t say that I blame them 
much.” 

“ I shall blame them if they commit any act of 
disrespect,” said the captain, decidedly. “ I hope you 
will say what you can forward to keep the fellows 
from doing anything that would hurt Mr. Hamblin’s 
feelings.” 

“ What can I do? The old fossil doesn’t treat the 
students like gentlemen ; and if he behaves so, what 
can you expect of the fellows? He is cross, crabbed, 
and tyrannical.” 

“ Have they just found it out?” 

“ No, but they were willing to bear it rather than 
make any trouble on board. After what he did last 
Saturday, they are not disposed to be so patient ; and 
I can’t blame them much.” 

“ What happened last Saturday was between Mr. 
Hamblin and me, and the students needn’t trouble 
themselves about that.” 

“ But the fellows all like you first rate, even the 
worst ones we have on board ; and there are some 
pretty hard boys here,” laughed Duncan. 

“ If they like me, they will not get up a row.” 

“ I will take care that all of them know just how 
you feel,” said Duncan, concluding to end the con- 
versation at this point, for the subject of these re- 
marks had just come on deck. 

The learned gentleman appeared to carry his head 
even higher, and to be more dignified, stiff, and re- 
served, than usual. With an invitation in his pocket 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. I ^ 

to visit the greatest statesman in Belgium, he felt like 
a very exalted personage ; for not even Mr. Lowing- 
ton had been so highly favored. Mr. Hamblin was 
puffed up and swelled out by the honor the great man 
had done him, and as he walked up and down the 
deck, the students might have known by his air, if 
they had not been told of the fact, that greatness had 
suddenly been thrust upon him. 

It presently occurred to him that the principal had 
not been informed of the distinguished consideration 
in which the government of Belgium regarded the 
Josephine’s senior instructor. It was important that 
he should know it, for the fact would certainly elevate 
him in the estimation of the principal, and cause him 
to regret that in the recent difficulty he had not more 
fully sustained his notable professor. Besides, he 
wished to make some arrangements which would 
permit him to visit the Palais de la Nation, and to 
dine with the minister, if he should be invited, as he 
had no doubt he should be. 

With as much sternness on his wrinkled face as he 
coidd assume, he walked forward to demand a boat 
of Captain Kendall. As he was passing in the waist, 
a coil of signal line dropped down from the gaff 
above, square upon the top of his hat, forcing it far 
down upon his head. Mr. Hamblin immediately 
threw himself into an undignified passion. When he 
had with some difficulty extricated his head from the 
linings of his hat, he looked up to see who had been 
guilty of this act of flagrant disrespect. 

“ I beg your pardon, Mr. Hamblin,” shouted 
Grimme, a seaman, whose legs were twined around 


*54 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


the end of the gaff, while he was in the act of passing 
a signal halyard through an eye. 

The captain had received orders from the principal 
to have the Josephine ready for the visit of a distin- 
guished person on the following day, and Mr. Cleats 
was preparing to dress the rigging. 

“ You scoundrel ! ” roared Mr. Hamblin, gazing up 
at the unfortunate youth who had been the cause of 
his misfortune. 

“ Did it hurt you, sir?” asked Paul, stepping up to 
the professor. 

“ Was that done by your order, Mr. Kendall?” de- 
manded the irate savant. 

“ No, sir ; it was not,” replied Paul, blushing with 
indignation at such an insinuation. 

“ It is very singular that the rope should fall just at 
the moment I was passing,” added Mr. Hamblin, sour- 
ly, as he straightened out his crumpled tile. 

“ I am sorry it occurred, sir,” said Paul, who uttered 
no more than the literal truth. 

Mr. Hamblin glanced around the deck at the stu- 
dents who were collected there. They did not seem 
to be sorry ; oh the contrary, there was a look of dia- 
bolical satisfaction in the expression of most of them, 
and not a few were actually laughing. 

“ I demand the immediate punishment of the offend- 
er,” said Mr. Hamblin, irritated by this manifestation 
on the part of the students. 

By this time Grimme had descended from his peril- 
ous perch, having completed the reeving of the hal- 
yard. Without a moment’s delay, he hastened to the 
spot where the angry man stood, and touched his cap 
with the utmost deference. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 15^ 

“ I beg your pardon, Mr. Hamblin. I hope you 
will excuse me,” said Grimme, who really wore a 
very troubled look. 

“ You did it on purpose, you scoundrel ! ” growled 
the professor, savagely ; for he could not fail to see 
the ill-suppressed chuckling of the students in the 
waist. 

“No, sir! I did not, sir!” protested Grimme. “ I 
had the end in my mouth, and was just going to drop 
the coil when I saw you.” 

“ And you did drop it when you saw me.” 

“ I did not mean to drop it then. I was going to 
wait till you had passed ; but my foot slipped, and, in 
catching hold of the gaff with my hand, 1 let go the 
coil. If I hadn’t dropped it, I should have fallen my- 
self,” replied Grimme, who seemed determined to 
make the explanation strong enough to meet the 
emergency. 

“ I don’t believe a word of it ! You meant to in- 
sult me!” exclaimed Mr. Hamblin, still goaded on to 
intemperate speech by the ill-concealed jeers of the 
students. “ Mr. Kendall, it is your duty to punish 
that insolent fellow.” 

“ I will inquire into the matter, sir. If it appears 
that he did the act on purpose, he shall certainly be 
punished,” replied Paul, who, after his conversation 
with Duncan, could not help suspecting that this was 
the first step in the hazing process to which his friend 
had alluded. 

“ Inquire into it ! ” sneered Mr. Hamblin, with deep 
disgust. “ I complain of the boy : that is enough.” 

Paul did not think so ; but he made no reply to the 


i5 6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


angry man, though he ordered the alleged culprit to 
the mainmast, which is the locality of the high court 
on shipboard. 

“ Mr. Kendall, I desire to have the gig, for the pur- 
pose of visiting the ship.” 

“ The gig, sir ! ” exclaimed Paul, to whom the pro- 
fessors were not in the habit of designating which boat 
they would have. 

“ I said the gig, sir,” repeated Mr. Hamblin, loftily. 

“ I beg your pardon, sir ; but the gig is the captain’s 
boat,” replied Paul, with deference. 

“ The captain’s boat ! ” puffed the professor. 

“ Mr. Lowington directed me to use the first cutter 
for the professors,” added Paul. 

“ Am I to understand that you again refuse me a 
boat?” 

“ No, sir ; by no means,” said the captain, ready to 
weep with vexation at these disagreeable incidents. 

He turned from Mr. Hamblin, and directed the 
first lieutenant to pipe away the first cutters ; and 
in a few moments the boat was ready. The fourth 
lieutenant was sent in charge of the cutter. The pro- 
fessor went over the side into the boat ; and as he 
made no objections, the officers concluded that he did 
not know the difference between the gig and the first 
cutter. At certain stages of the tide, there is a three- 
mile current in the Scheldt, with strong eddies, formed 
by the sweep of the river. By a miscalculation of the 
coxswain, the cutter fell astern of the ship, and had to 
pull up to her, which prolonged the passage somewhat, 
thereby increasing the ill nature and impatience of Mr. 
Hamblin. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 5 7 


“ In bows ! ” said the coxswain, as the boat ap- 
proached the sliip; and the two bowmen tossed their 
oars and boated them, taking position in the bow- 
grating, with the boat-hooks in their hands. 

“ Way enough ! ” added the coxswain ; and the rest 
of the crew tossed their oars. 

At the gangway of the ship stairs had been rigged, 
at the foot of which there was a platform, for the con- 
venience of those boarding or leaving the ship by the 
boats. The bowmen fastened their boat-hooks upon the 
platform, in readiness to haul the boat alongside, so 
that the passenger could step out without inconvenience. 
But the current was strong, and some delay ensued. 

“ There ! let me get out ! ” exclaimed Mr. Hamblin, 
rising in the boat, and walking between the oarsmen 
to the bow. 

“Steady, sir!” said Humphreys, the officer, as he 
took the arm of the professor, to prevent him from 
falling. 

“ Pull the boat up, so I can step out ! ” said Mr. 
Hamblin, impatiently, to the bowmen. 

They were hauling her up closer to the platform, 
against the strong current, which, being in a direction 
contrary to the wind, made considerable sea, causing 
the boat to roll and jerk uneasily. When she was 
within a couple of feet of the platform, the professor 
attempted to step out. 

“ Steady, sir ! ” said Morgan, one of the bowmen, 
as Mr. Hamblin was about to take the step ; but at 
that instant the boat receded from the platform, and 
the learned gentleman, with one foot on the plank and 
the other on the bow of the boat, made a very long 


* 5 $ 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


straddle, toppled over into the water, and disappeared 
in the eddies. 

“ My boat-hook broke ! ” protested Morgan, holding 
up the implement, from which the iron had drawn 
out ; and after what had occurred on board of the con- 
sort, he probably deemed it necessary to make an im- 
mediate defence. 

• “ Man overboard ! ” shouted several students in the 
ship ; and immediately there was an immense commo- 
tion on board of her. 

Mr. Hamblin rose to the surface an instant later, 
and shouted for help. The accident was observed 
from the Josephine, and the gig piped away in double 
quick time. 

“ Up oars ! Let fall ! Give way ! ” shouted Rob- 
inson, in the first cutter, as she drifted away from the 
gangway of the ship, without waiting for the orders 
to be repeated by the coxswain. 

A few vigorous strokes of the oars brought the cut- 
ter to the spot where the professor was struggling with 
the dirty current. The bowmen seized him by the 
collar, and the crew, after no little labor, owing to the 
excitement of the unfortunate gentleman, succeeded 
in getting him into the boat. He was placed in the 
stern sheets, and Robinson afforded him such assistance 
as the circumstances would permit. 

The gig, with Paul and Pelham on board, was dart- 
ing through the current towards the first cutter. It 
was too late to be of any service ; but it continued on 
its way, and the captain manifested his interest and 
S3'mpathy as well as he could. Mr. Hamblin pressed 
the water from his hair, wiped his face with his wet 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 159 

handkerchief, and otherwise endeavored to remove the 
effects of his involuntary bath. He seemed to be, thus 
far, no worse for the disaster ; but lie directed Robin- 
son to return directly to the Josephine, for obvious 
reasons. 

The two boats came alongside together ; and this 
time the professor, notwithstanding the discomfort of 
his condition, made no undue haste to leave the cutter 
before she was properly secured. 

“ I am very sorry indeed for your misfortune, sir,” 
said Paul, politely, when he met Mr. Hamblin on deck. 

“ Perhaps you are ! ” replied he, rushing down the 
cabin stairs, bestowing hardly a glance upon the sym- 
pathizing commander. 

He went to his state-room, and made an entire 
change of his clothing. The weather was warm, and 
he suffered no serious consequences. 

“ You are a very unfortunate person, Mr. Hamblin,” 
said his associate instructor, when the savant , clean 
and dry, emerged from the state-room. 

“ It was done on purpose, Mr. Stoute,” replied he, 
solemnly, with compressed lips. 

u O, no! It couldn’t be!” protested the fat pro- 
fessor. “ You are simply unfortunate. First, a coil 
of rope falls on your head, and then you fall over- 
board. You should be careful.” 

“ Has that student been punished for throwing the 
rope upon me ? ” 

“ No, sir. I stood by during the investigation at 
the majnmast. It could not be proved that the act 
was done on purpose ; and, for my part, I did not be- 
lieve it was.” 


i6o 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ I am very confident it was. I can read the ex- 
pression on the faces of the boys ; and I am certain 
there is a conspiracy among them to knock out my 
brains or drown me in the river.” 

“ Boys will be boys, and they are very prone to look 
at the ludicrous aspect of an accident,” added the stout 
professor. “ I should not give a serious interpretation 
to any little signs of mirth I happened to see.” 

“ Mr. Stoute, you allow yourself to be hoodwinked, 
deceived, overwhelmed, by these artful boys. You 
should maintain more dignity in your intercourse with 
them.” 

“ There is a true and a false dignity, Mr. Hamblin. 
I shall endeavor to avoid the one, and cling to the 
other,” replied Mr. Stoute, warmly, but good-naturedly. 

“ You arc aware that I asked for the gig before I 
started for the ship?” continued Mr. Ilamblin, im- 
pressively. 

“ I am ; and I was also aware that the first cutter 
had been appropriated to the use of the instructors.” 

“ I demanded the gig. It was refused. What did 
that mean ? ” 

“ It meant just what the captain said — that the 
principal required him to furnish the first cutter for 
our use.” 

“ That is not what it meant,” persisted Mr. Ham- 
blin. “ The crew of the first cutter had been instruct- 
ed to tip me into the river. When I called for the gig, 
it deranged the plan. I am only sorry that I did not 
refuse to take the cutter, and insist upon haying the 
gig ; but I do not wish to make trouble.” 

“ But why did you ask for the gig?” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. l6l 


“ Because I saw Morgan, who, I knew, belonged in 
the cutter, laughing when the rope fell on my head. 
He would as lief drown me as not.” 

“ I think you misjudge the boys.” 

“ I am surprised that one who has been a teacher as 
long as you have does not understand boys any better,” 
replied Mr. Hamblin, coldly. “ I am satisfied that 
Kendall is at the bottom of all this mischief.” 

“ I am very sure he is not,” said Mr. Stoute, de- 
cidedly. 

“ The crew of the cutter had been prepared for 
their work.” 

It was surprising that two men who had been among 
boys so long took such opposite views of them ; but 
the difference of opinion was more in the men than in 
the boys. 

These events were the staple of conversation on 
deck and in the steerage among the crew ; and some o r 
the better boys heard certain indefinite remarks about 
“ the first step ” and “ the second step,” used by “ our 
fellows;” but no real friend of law and order discov- 
ered anything which threw any new light upon the 
two misfortunes that had overtaken the senior profess- 
or, though there was a suspicion that these were the 
first and second steps hinted at by the doubtful ones- 
14 * 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


162 


CHAPTER X. 


WHO WAS CAPTAIN OF THE JOSEPHINE? 

R. HAMBLIN, as before intimated, did not 



TVA sleep well on the night in question. The bur- 
den of being called to the state department, and even 
to the royal palaces of Belgium, was very trying to 
his nerves. When he slept, it was only to dream of 
the great statesman and revolutionary leader of the 
Low Couutries, in the act of taking him by the hand 
or of presenting him to his majesty Leopold, “ Roi de 
Beige.” 

He prepared himself with great care, in his reflec- 
tions, for the stupendous occasion. He studied up 
courtly bows, and imagined just how he would look 
when in the act of making one of them. He pictured 
to himself various graceful gestures which he intended 
to use, in order to impress upon the great man the 
dignity of his character. He arranged the little 
tableau of his presentation to the king, with all the 
speeches, interludes, and movements. If the king 
said certain things, he should say certain other things 
in reply ; and when the interview ended, he was with 
becoming grace to back out of the royal presence. 

Leopold, Roi de Beige,” would probably inform 
him that he had, either directly or through his faithful 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 163 

minister, heard of the distinguished Greek savant; 
that he had seen or heard of the Greek Grammar he 
had published, the Greek Reader he had compiled, 
and the Anabasis he had edited and annotated. It 
was more than probable that there were copies of 
these learned and valuable works in the Royal Libra- 
ry ; for no library could be complete without them. If 
they were. there, the king would graciously inform 
him of the fact, as the highest compliment that could 
be paid to his fame as a Greek scholar. To all this, 
with his left hand upon his heart, with his right ex- 
tended, palm prone, at an angle of forty-five degrees 
with his perpendicular, his body bent in a courteous 
but dignified bow, he was to reply that his majesty 
did him too much honor. It would be necessary to 
deprecate, in some degree, the distinguished considera- 
tion awarded to him, and to declare his own unworthi- 
ness of the king’s notice and favor. 

Then, perhaps, the royal Leopold would present 
him a snuff-box, studded with pearls, diamonds, and 
rubies, — monarchs have a habit of presenting snutl- 
boxes to men who do not take snuff, — in token of 
his princely appreciation of the learning of the dis- 
tinguished American professor. Or, perhaps, “ Le 
Roi de Beige ” would inform him that he desired 
to promote the study of the Greek language and litera- 
ture in his kingdom, and that he was graciously pleased 
to appoint him Inspector of Greek, or Librarian of the 
Greek portion of the Royal Library, with no active 
duty but that of collecting his salary of tw'enty thous- 
and francs — liberal princes, as rich as Leopold was 
reD nf «*d to be, often spent their money more fool- 


164 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


ishly than this, in rewarding distinguished men of 
learning. 

The learned gentleman did not feel a very strong 

confidence that the king would thus reward his forty 

years’ patient study of the Greek ; but if he should 

conclude to behave in this rather erratic but highly 
• • • ^ 

honorable manner, it would give him a pleasant op- 
portunity of waiting upon Mr. Lowington in his 
cabin, and politely informing him that he could no 
longer endure the insults of the Josephines, or counte- 
nance their want of appreciation of the privilege of 
having such a professor of Greek as he was ; and that 
he felt compelled to resign his present position, in or- 
der that “ Le Roi de Beige” might avail himself of 
his valuable services. 

It would be delightful to make such a call upon the 
principal of the academy squadron. It would be a 
grand occasion for a display of dignity. He did not 
feel that such a pleasant event was likely to occur ; 
but it was not impossible. The fame of his Gram- 
mar and other works might have come over the 
Atlantic while he was transplanting Greek roots in 
the hard heads of stupid boys. He felt that he de- 
served some higher token of public appreciation than 
had yet been bestowed upon him. Why should the 
Secretary of Foreign Affairs send an autograph letter 
to him, unless some especial notice was to be taken 
of him? 

An audible voice seemed to say, “ Go up higher, 
friend ; ” but, alas ! that was only the snoring of Pro- 
fessor Stoute, in the berth above him, which his fancy 
had incorporated into words. There was no voice — 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 65 

only the guttural sounds of his obese room-mate, who 
was so tired that he breathed with unwonted labor in 
his sleep. There was no poetry in the snoring of his 
companion, and the vision was rudely dissolved by the 
reality. But the invitation to go to court was in his 
pocket : he could not be cheated out of that, or of his 
brilliant expectations. Leopold might do the hand- 
some thing, at least as to the snuff-box. It was rather 
awkward, in view of the approaching interview, that 
he could not speak French ; but the king had lived in 
London for a time, and doubtless spoke English flu- 
ently. Of course the Minister of Foreign Affairs could 
speak English ; but even if he did not, they could meet 
on the same level in Latin or Greek. 

Professor Hamblin did not sleep very w r ell ; and he 
did not sleep any better because Mr. Stoute slept so 
well, and made the state-room sonorous with the rich- 
est base snoring that ever tormented a nervous man. 
Indeed, the heavy sleeper made it so lively for the 
light sleeper that the latter was two or three times 
goaded to the alternative of waking the former, or 
abandoning the room. 

In the course of the night the learned professor had 
polished up all his little speeches to be recited before 
the minister, and probably before the king ; had nicely 
adjusted all his bows and gestures, and laid up a maga- 
zine of expedients for possible emergencies, such as 
the presence of the Duke of Brabant, Prince Leopold, 
and even of “ La Reine de Beige ; ” but the dreamer 
was glad when the morning came ; for the night had 
been very long, though he had probably slept three 
quarters of the time ; gladder still when he heard the 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


1 66 

water splashing on the deck above him, as the watch 
washed down the quarter-deck, for now he could get 
up. He did get up, and went out to taste the freshness 
of the early air. 

The young seamen had finished their labor on 
the quarters, and were at work in the waist. A 
kind of force-pump, or fire-engine, was attached to 
the Josephine, to save labor in washing down the 
decks, and to be used in case of fire below. It was 
provided with a sufficient length of hose to reach all 
parts of the vessel, and was worked by a single brake, 
manned by r four hands. With this apparatus the boys 
were deluging the decks with water, one of them 
holding the pipe, and half a dozen scrubbing the 
planks with long-handled brushes. 

A fire-engine, or indeed anything that will squirt, 
is a great luxury to the boys, with whom “ running 
with the machine” is a constitutional tendency. The 
novelty of the Josephine’s force-pump had not yet 
worn away, and it contributed in no small degree to 
alleviate the hard and ungentlemanly labor of washing 
down decks. 

Mr. Hamblin was not a boy, and he had a constitu- 
tional dislike of fire-engines and all hydraulic appa- 
ratus, partly, perhaps, because the boys liked it. The 
quarter-deck was still wet with the drenching it had re- 
ceived, and the professor did not like to dampen his feet 
on the one hand, or retreat to the close cabin on the 
other. He did what Americans are very apt to do 
when situated between the two horns of a dilemma — 
he compromised between the difficulties by seating him- 
self on the fife-rail between a couple of bclaying-pins. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 67 

He was careful to place himself abaft the mainmast, so 
that the wicked engine would not spatter him. 

He sat on the fife-rail and began to think of the 
king and the minister again ; but his reflections this 
time were very brief, and if his fancy burned again 
with glowing anticipation, the flame was suddenly 
quenched by a stream of water directed at the foot of 
the mast, which spattered his lower extremities very 
badly. 

“What are you about, you rascal?” roared the 
learned gentleman, springing from his perch to the 
deck. 

But it would have been better for him to. remain 
where he was, for the instant his feet struck: the deck, 
the full force of the stream from the hose-pipe saluted 
him squarely in the face, filling his mouth with water, 
and well nigh overthrowing him with its violence. This 
was a sad accident. McDougal, one of the quarter- 
masters, held the pipe. At the moment the professor 
sprang from the fife-rail, the hoseman was looking 
behind him, his attention having been called away 
from his work by a remark of one of the hands at the 
brake. 

“What do you mean, you rascal ? ” sputtered Mr. 
Hamblin, attempting to free his mouth of the dirty 
Scheldt water which had been forced into it. 

“ That’s number three,” whispered one of the brake- 
men to another. 

“Hush up !” replied the one addressed, from the 
corner of his mouth. 

McDougal dropped the hose, and rushed aft to the 
place where the unhappy savant stood. 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


1 68 

“ You impertinent puppy ! ” cried Mr. Hamblin, 
soiling his white handkerchief with the foul water 
upon his face. 

“ O, dear ! What have I done ! ” groaned McD*ugal, 
clasping his hands in an agony of dismay. “ I 
beg your pardon ! I didn’t see you, sir. O, what 
have I done ! ” And the wretched lioseman actually 
threw himself on his ksiees upon the wet deck, and 
implored the forgiveness of the injured magnate of the 
school-room. 

“You meant to do it !” exclaimed the implacable 
pedagogue. 

“ No, sir ! Indeed, I did not! Won’t you forgive 
me?” pleaded McDougal, still upon his knees. 

“What does all this mean?” demanded Pelham, 
who was officer of the deck, as he rushed to the spot 
from the topgallant forecastle, where he had gone to 
keep out of the way of the splashing waters. 

“ O, Mr. Pelham,” groaned the hoseman, “ I am so 
sorry ! ” 

“ Get up ! ” said Pelham to die culprit, sternly, for 
anything like servility was very disgusting to him, and 
probably he had his own views in regard to Mr. 
Hamblin. 

McDougal obeyed this imperative command, and 
though, ordinarily, a young man of nerve and of much 
self-possession, he appeared to be trembling with 
apprehension. His lips quivered, his knees smote 
against each other, and he stood wringing his hands, 
apparently in the most abject terror. 

“ I didn’t mean to do it, Mr. Pelham,” chattered the 
miserable hoseman. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 169 


“ Mr. Pelham, in my opinion this act was deliber- 
ately contrived and carried out,” said Mr. Hamblin, 
severely, though he was evidently somewhat moved 
by the misery' of the culprit. 

“ I am very sorry for it, sir, whether it was done on 
purpose or by accident,” replied Pelham. ik Where 
were you, sir, when it happened?” 

“ I was sitting on that frame,” answered Mr. Ham' 
blin, pointing to the place. 

“ On the fife-rail? ” 

“ Yes ; if that is the name of the frame.” 

“ Yes, sir ; and he was behind the mast, and I didn’t 
see him,” pleaded McDougal. “I saw some dirt on 
deck at the foot of the mast, and I threw the stream 
there. I couldn’t see Mr. Hamblin — indeed I couldn’t, 
sir.” . 

“ I would not complain of the act if that had been 
all, for I was simply spattered ; but when I stepped 
down, the stream was directed full into my face.” 

“I didn’t mean to do it, sir. One of the brake- 
men hollered to me, and I turned to see what he want- 
ed, and when I did so, I raised np the hose ; and I 
suppose that’s what made the stream hit Mr. Hamblin 
in the face,” groaned McDougal. 

“ Yes, sir,” interposed the brakeman, who had des- 
ignated the act as “ number three.” “ I saw Mr. 
Hamblin, and I sung out to McDougal to turn the 
hose. He turned round and asked me what I said, 
and before I could answer Mr. Hamblin cried out to 
him.” 

k ‘ So far as I can see, it appears to be an accident, 

*5 


PIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


170 

sir,” added Pelham ; “ but I will report it to the cap- 
tain.” 

“ O, Mr. Pelham, don’t report me to the captain ! ” 
begged McDougal. “ He will send me back to the 
ship. I didn’t mean to do it ; it was an accident.” 

“ It is useless to report it to the captain,” said the 
professor, with a palpable sneer. 

“ Thank you, sir ; you will forgive me, sir?” moaned 
the culprit. 

“ I am willing to forgive you if it was an accident,” 
replied the savant , more graciously. 

“ It was an accident, sir.” 

“ It is very singular that so many accidents happen 
to me,” said the professor, knitting his brow, and look- 
ing very savage, when he recalled the events of the 
preceding evening. “This is the third time within 
half a day that an accident has occurred to me.” 

Mr. Hamblin walked off”, and descended to the cabin 
to change his clothes again. The suit in which he 
had fallen overboard had been dried at the cook’s gal- 
ley, and was in condition for use. While changing 
his garments, he recited to Mr. Stoute the new mis- 
fortune that had overtaken him. 

Pelham sharply questioned the hands who had been 
concerned in the outrage ; but McDougal, who ap' 
peared to be the only one implicated in the deed, pro-' 
tested that the circumstances were just as he had stated 
them ; nothing could be proved, for the boys all agreed 
in their statements. The case was therefore dismissed, 
to be called up again by the captain, if he thought 
proper to do so McDougal walked forward to pick 
up the hose-pipe again, and as he met the brakema.i 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. Ijl 


who had exhibited some intelligence before, he gave 
him a very sly wink. 

The officer of the watch was more than suspicious. 
He was an old hand at mischief himself, and not easi- 
ly hoodwinked by “our fellows.” He could not help 
thinking that McDougal had overdone his part, for a 
bold young man, like him, would not behave so much 
like a coward under any circumstances. Just before 
breakfast time the captain and first lieutenant came on 
deck together, and Pelham reported “ number three” 
to them. 

“ It was not an accident,” exclaimed Paul, indig- 
nantly. 

“ I don’t think it was myself,” replied Pelham. 
“ But at the same time, what can you do? You can’t 
prove that it was done on purpose.” 

“ I had a hint from Duncan that the fellows in- 
tended to haze Mr. Hamblin, and if this thing isn’t 
stopped in the beginning, there is no knowing where 
it will end,” continued Paul, decidedly. “ You will 
pipe to muster the first thing after breakfast, Mr. Ter- 
rill.” 

The young commander was entirely satisfied in his 
own mind that the unpleasant incident of the morn- 
ing was a part of the hazing programme, if the two 
oh the preceding evening were not. He had already 
decided to take prompt action, and put a stop to the 
disgraceful proceedings. 

After breakfast, agreeably to the order, all hands 
were piped to muster. The two professors had come 
on deck to ascertain the cause of this movement. 
They had had a long talk together about the second 


172 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


drenching of the senior, and Mr. Stoute was obliged to 
conclude that the deed had been wilfully done. He 
acknowledged as much as this, and felt, as the captain 
did, that prompt action was necessary ; but to his sur- 
prise, Mr. Hamblin took opposite ground towards the 
latter part of the interview, and declared that McDou- 
gal, on his knees, had begged his pardon. The learn- 
ed gentleman appeared to be determined to keep his 
opinion at variance with that of his associate. 

Mr. Hamblin was one of those old fogies who could 
not appreciate manliness in a boy. He demanded 
abject servility and pusillanimous crouching on the 
part of an offender. When he frowned, the boy 
ought to wither with fear rather than with the con- 
sciousness of guilt. McDougal had thrown himself 
into a becoming attitude, in his estimation; had 
groaned, trembled, and cringed. He was willing to 
forgive McDougal, and had intimated as much as this 
to him before he left the deck. 

The young commander took his place on the hatch, 
and made quite a telling speech in regard to what he 
termed the disgraceful proceeding which had occurred 
on board. He solemnly warned the boys that he 
would not tolerate anything irregular and disorderly. 

“Mr. Terrill, you will pipe away the second cut- 
ters,” he continued, turning to the first lieutenant. 

The crew of the boat were piped away, the cutter 
lowered, and they took their places in her. The sec- 
ond lieutenant was detailed to take charge of her, and 
waited near the captain for his orders. 

“ Pass the word for McDougal,” added the captain, 
when the second cutter was ready, as he stepped down 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 73 

from the hatch, and stood at the foot of the main- 
mast. 

The culprit came forward, and touched his cap to 
the captain. 

“For your conduct this morning to Mr. Hamblin I 
shall send you on board of the ship,” sftid Paul, in 
firm and decided tones. 

“ I couldn’t help it, Captain Kendall,” pleaded 
McDougal ; but he exhibited none of the servility 
which had characterized his demeanor to the profess- 
or ; he knew the captain too well to resort to such 
an expedient. 

“ Perhaps you could not,” replied Paul, pointedly. 
“ Perhaps you could not ; but you were very care- 
less.” 

“ I didn’t mean to do it,” added McDougal. 

“ I do not say that you did. If the professor cannot 
walk the deck without being drenched with water, it 
is time those who are so careless should be sent out 
of the Josephine.” 

“ Mr. Hamblin was behind the mast, and I thought 
he had gone below, sir.” 

“ I have no time nor inclination to argue the matter. 
If you think any injustice has been done to you, the 
principal will hear your complaint, and I shall be as 
willing as you are to abide by his decision. Mr. Mar- 
tvn, you will report the case as it is to Mr. Lowington. 
McDougal, consider yourself under arrest, and take 
your place in the boat.” 

The culprit wanted to say something more, but 
Paul ordered him into the boat with an emphasis 
which he did not deem it prudent to disregard. 


! 74 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Captain Kendall,” said Professor Hamblin, step- 
ping up to the young commander, “ I request that you 
will detain that boat for a moment or two.” 

‘‘Certainly, sir, if you desire it,” replied Paul, giv- 
ing the necessary order. 

“ May I ask for a few moments’ private conversa- 
tion with you?” added the professor, as he led the 
way aft. 

The learned gentleman seemed to be considerably 
excited, and conducted the captain to the taffrail. 

“ I protest against your action in this matter,” said 
he, warmly, when they were out of hearing of others. 

“ Indeed, sir ! I supposed you would protest if I 
did not take decided action.” 

“ I am sorry to feel obliged to sav, that you do not 
use good judgment in this case,” continued Mr. Ham- 
blin, solemnly. “ When that rope was thrown upon 
me, you took no notice of it. I do not hear that the 
crew of the first cutter have been called to account 
for their carelessness in throwing me into the water 
last night; but, in this instance, where the guilty 
party has begged my pardon on his bended knees, 
and shown a degree of sorrow which it would be in- 
human to disregard, you resort to the severest punish- 
ment known on board.” 

“ You will excuse me, Mr. Hamblin, but I think 
my action is fully justified by the circumstances.” 

“I think not. You are extremely severe in this 
case, while the more flagrant act of throwing me into 
the river, whether it was a wilful or a careless one, 
was passed over in silence.” 

“ It was not passed over in silence. 1 examined 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 75 

the officer of the boat, and I found that the accident 
was caused by the breaking of a boat-hook in the 
hands of one of the bowmen. If you will pardon 
me for being entirely candid with you, Mr. Hamblin, 
the mishap was caused by your own carelessness, 
rather than by that of the boat’s crew.” 

“ Do you mean to insult me? ” demand the profess- 
or, angrily. 

“ Most assuredly not, sir. If you had kept your 
seat in the stern-sheets of the boat, as a passenger 
should, until the cutter was properly secured, you 
could not possibly have fallen overboard when the 
boat-hook broke,” answered Paul, gently and firmly. 

“ I do not ask your judgment upon my actions, Mr. 
Kendall,” growled the professor. 

“ Excuse me, sir ; but I alluded to your movement 
only in defence of the boat’s crew. If the bowmen 
had actually intended to throw you into the water, 
they could not have done it if you had kept your 
seat.” 

“ It is not proper for you to criticise my action.” 

Paid bowed, and made no reply. 

“ I protest against your action in punishing McDou- 
gal. He apologized to my satisfaction ; and, as this 
is an affair personal with me, I am surprised at your 
taking any step without consulting me.” 

“ It is a case which affects the discipline of the 
vessel ; and, as such, it was proper* that I should dis- 
pose of it.” 

“ It was a personal matter, I say,” repeated the 
professor, growing more wrathy when he found his 
mighty will opposed. 


176 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ I have such information, sir, as leads me to be- 
lieve that the act of this morning was intentional.” 

“ That’s a want of judgment on your part, and I 
protest against your action. I object to your sending 
McDougal to the ship, and I demand that your order 
be rescinded.” 

“ I shall send him to the ship, sir ! ” replied Paul, 
decidedly, his cheek coloring. 

“ Shall you ! Do you mean to insult me?” 

“ No, sir ; I repeat that I do not mean to insult 
you.” 

“ I say that boy ought not to be sent to the ship. 
Why, such a lack of judgment — ” 

“ Mr. Hamblin, I command this vessel ! ” exclaimed 
Paul, with native dignity. 

“ Do you, indeed? ” 

“ I am responsible for all I do to Mr. Lowington. 
You will oblige me by not interfering with the disci- 
pline of the crew.” 

“How dare you use such language to me?” 
snapped the professor, dancing about the deck with 
rage. 

“ Mr. Terrill, direct Mr. Marty n to pull to the ship, 
and execute my order as I gave it.” 

“ This is infamous ! ” stormed Mr. Hamblin. “ Am 
I to be snubbed by a boy, by one of my own pupils?” 

“ I have nothing more to say, Mr. Hamblin,” con- 
tinued Paul, bowing and moving away. 

“ Stop, you puppy ! ” roared Mr. Hamblin, follow* 
ing him, and speaking loud enough for all the officers 
to hear his offensive remark. 

“ Come, come, Mr. Hamblin, you are disgracing 
yourself,” interposed Mr. Stoute. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 77 

“ The puppy ! ” gasped Mr. Hamblin. “ He insult- 
ed me ! ” 

“ Don’t lower yourself in the eyes of your pupils by 
such undignified conduct.” 

“ Am I to be insulted by a boy ? ” replied Mr. Ham- 
blin, breaking away from his associate. 

Mr. Terrill, send Mr. Cleats and Mr. Gage aft,” 
said Captain Kendall, hardly able to speak, so violent 
were his emotions. 

“ Mr. Kendall — ” 

“ Captain Kendall, if you please,” interposed Paul, 
as the professor, boiling over with rage, rushed up to 
him. 

“ Mister Kendall, I will — ” 

“ One word, Mr. Hamblin, before you proceed any 
farther,” continued Paul, struggling to be calm. 

“ Here, sir,” reported the adult carpenter and boat- 
swain. 

“ Stand by ; I may want you,” replied Captain Ken- 
dall. “ Mr. Hamblin,” he proceeded, turning to the 
furious professor, “ if you venture to call me a puppy 
again, or to use any other offensive epithet, I will 
order the carpenter and boatswain to arrest you. I 
will send you in irons on board the ship. I beg to 
remind you again that I am the captain of this 
vessel.” 

Mr. Hamblin glanced at him, and then at the stal- 
wart forward officers, who, he knew, would obey the 
captain if the Josephine w’ent down with them in the 
act. If he did not feel that he had done wrong, he felt 
that he could do nothing more. Professor Stoute again 
interposed his good offices, and Mr. Hamblin defeated 


178 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


— by himself rather than the captain — bolted from 
the group, and rushed down into the cabin. 

The entire'ship’s company had crowded aft to wit* 
ness this exciting scene. 

“ Three cheers for Captain Kendall ! ” shouted a 
daring fellow. “ One ! ” 

They were given, in spite of Paul’s cry for “ silence,” 
and then the crew scattered. The young commander 
looked very pale, and went below attended by Terrill, 
who had noticed his ghastly expression. He retired 
to his state-room, and but for his friend’s efforts would 
have fainted away, so terribly had he suffered during 
the painful scene. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 79 


CHAPTER XI 


ON THE WAY TO GHENT 


OU have made a very great mistake, Mr. Ham- 



X blin,” said Professor Stoute, when they reached 
their state-room. 

“ Do you take part with the students, Mr. Stoute?” 
snapped the angry savant. 

The good-natured instructor concluded that it would 
be useless for him to say anything while his associate 
continued in such an unhappy frame of mind ; and 
he condemned himself to silence for the present. It 
was plain enough to him that the crew of the Jose- 
phine were in a state of mutiny, so far as Mr. Ham- 
blin was concerned, and that the academic discipline 
of the vessel was at an end. If he understood the 
humor of the boys, they would refuse to obey the pro- 
fessor of Greek. There must be a settlement of this 
serious difficulty before anything more could be done- 

Mr. Hamblin was silent also for a time. It would 
have been curious to know what he thought of him- 
self at that particular moment, though doubtless he 
fully justified his conduct and regarded himself as an 
injured man. A gentleman so profoundly skilled in 
Greek as he was, with an invitation in his pocket to 
visit the king’s chief minister, ought not to be ex- 


i8o 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


pected to submit to the snubbing of a mere boy. 
The two professors sat in the state-room till the 
silence became painful, and till the anger of Mr. 
Hamblin had in a measure subsided. 

“ I did not expect to see you take part with the 
boys, Mr. Stoute,” said the learned gentleman, in a 
grieved tone. 

“ If I take any part at all, I hope it will be on the 
right side,” replied Mr. Stoute. 

“ Which means, I suppose, that I am on the wrong 
side,” replied Mr. Hamblin, with a heavy sigh. 

“ It means exactly that,” added the other, candidly. 

“You think, then, that the boys have done pre- 
cisely right — do you ? ” 

“ Without saying that, I am compelled to believe 
you were in the wrong.” 

“ That boy threatened to arrest me,” continued Mr. 
Hamblin, with something like a shudder ; “ and all 
the crew gave three cheers for Captain Kendall ! ” 

“ I could hardly resist the temptation to join with 
them in giving the cheers,” replied Mr. Stoute, con- 
solingly. “ The conduct of Captain Kendall filled 
me with admiration.” 

“ Mr. Stoute, do you consider that a proper' remark 
to make to me?” 

“ You will not understand anything but the plainest 
speech, and I intend to be perfectly candid with you. 
You interfered with the discipline of the vessel, and 
because the captain respectfully declined to recall the 
boat, you threw yourself into a passion, and behaved 
in a most ungentlemanly and undignified manner. 
Positively, sir, I am ashamed of you ! You called the 
captain a puppy, sir ! ” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. l8l 


“ He’s only a boy,” answered Mr. Hamblin, in 
whom this plain talk seemed to create a doubt in 
regard to his conduct. 

“ Any boy has the right to be treated like a gentle- 
man when he behaves like one, even if his opinion 
does not agree with our own ; and especially is this 
true of the captain.” 

“ He was utterly lacking in judgment. The con- 
duct of McDougal was a personal matter, and Mr. 
Kendall should have consulted me.” 

“Allowing that the captain was wrong, — though I 
do not think that he was wrong, — it does not improve 
the aspect of your conduct.” 

“You think Mr. Lowington will not sustain me — 
do you ? ” 

“ Certainly not.” 

“ I could hardly expect it, since he has a much 
higher regard for that boy than for me,” sighed Mr. 
Hamblin. * • 

“ It is eight o’clock, and time for the recitations to 
commence,” said Mr. Stoute, consulting his watch. 
“ You must decide at once what you intend to do.” 

“What shall I do?” asked Mr. Hamblin, who had 
become fully conscious that he had involved himself 
in another “ unpleasantness,” and that the powers 
that be, unmindful of his claims, would probably 
decide against him. 

“Shall we hear the recitations? Are you willing 
to go into the steerage, and proceed with your 
classes? ” 

« I am.” 

Mr. Stoute had his doubts whether it would be pru 
1 6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


l&Z 

dent for him to do so ; but he was satisfied that Cap- 
tain Kendall could control the crew, even if they 
attempted a demonstration against the unpopular in- 
structor. 

“ If I had made so great a blunder as you have, 
Mr. Hamblin,” added Professor Stoute, “ I should go 
to the captain, and apologize to him.” 

“ Apologize to him ! ” exclaimed the savant. 

“Yes, sir.” 

“ To that boy, who insulted me, who threatened to 
arrest me, and send me in irons to the ship, who had 
the impudence to tell me that he was the captain of 
this vessel ! No, sir ! ” 

“Very well, sir; suit yourself; I am going to the 
steerage to attend to my classes.” 

Without waiting for his associate’s final decision as 
to what he intended to do, Mr. .Stoute left the state- 
room. By this time Paul had recovered from the 
faintness which had oppressed him, and had ordered 
the first lieutenant to “ pipe to recitations.” 

“ Are we to go on with the studies as usual, Cap- 
tain Kendall?” asked Mr. Stoute, who could not help 
taking the hand of the young commander and warmly 
pressing it, though without any allusion in words to 
Professor Hamblin. 

“ Certainly, sir; the students will not be allowed to 
neglect any regular duty,” replied Paul. 

“ After the cheers which were given on deck, there 
is danger of a disturbance.” 

“No, sir; I think not. If any officer or seaman 
makes a disturbance, he shall be put under arrest 
instantly.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. I S3 

“ But suppose they all do it in concert.” 

“ They will not, sir ; ” but Paul spoke in hope 
rather than in faith, and dreaded the demonstration 
suggested by the professor. 

Mr. Stoute went into the steerage. The students 
were all there, including the crew of the cutter which 
had conveyed McDougal to the ship. They were 
more quiet and orderly than usual ; but the calm often 
precedes the storm. Captain Kendall passed into the 
steerage, and his appearance was the signal for a gen- 
eral clapping of the hands, in which all the officers 
joined. That he had won the day in his dispute with the 
obnoxious professor ; that he had threatened to arrest 
Mr. Hamblin, and send him in irons to the ship ; that 
he had actually called the willing caipenter and boat- 
swain to execute the anticipated order, — were more 
than enough to make the captain a hero with the ship’s 
company. Boys worship pluck, and are not always 
particular that it should be displayed in a good cause. 

“ Silence, if you please,” said Paul, moved by the 
applause of the students. 

Silence came instantly, for the captain was a “ little 
god” just then, and had more influence over the ship’s 
company at that moment than ever before. It is true 
they regretted the fate of poor McDougal, but there 
was not one of them who did not believe that the 
captain was right in his estimate of the culprit’s guilt. 

“ I wish to ask a favor of you,” continued Paul, in a 
rather embarrassed tone. 

A clapping of hands assured him that he could ask 
no favor that would not be unanimously granted. 

“Whatever happens, I wish you to make no dis- 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


1S4 

turbance, and no demonstrations of approval or dissent 
Will you heed my request?” 

“ We will ! ” shouted the students with one voice. 

“ Thank you,” l'eplied Paul, who did not believe in 
a display of force before it was necessary. 

The boys commenced work upon their lessons, and 
the captain, passing through the steerage, went on 
deck to avoid the necessity of meeting Mr. Hamblin, 
whose step he heard in the passage-way leading from 
the cabin. As Paul disappeared, the obnoxious savant 
entered the steerage. One of the students forward 
hissed, but his companions silenced him instantly ; and 
it is probable, if the captain had not spoken to them, 
Mr. Hamblin would have been greeted with a general 
demonstration of disapprobation. 

The learned gentleman was evidently much embar- 
rassed ; but he was very quiet and subdued in his 
manner. He was less impatient and snappish than 
usual; said nothing about “ stupidity ” and ‘‘ blunder- 
ing,” as was his habit. He seemed to be abstracted, 
as well he might ; but while he displayed less enthu- 
siasm in his teaching, he was infinitely more gentle- 
manly and kind. As he gave no occasion for any 
trouble, none came. Though the captain did not 
appear at any recitation conducted by him, the pro- 
fessor made no comment upon the circumstance. 

Paul was troubled, but he had made up his mind what 
to do. Either Mr. Hamblin must leave the Josephine, 
or he would respectfully ask to be relieved from the 
command of her. It was simply impossible to live 
with such a porcupine on board. It was a mystery 
to him that Mr. Lowington had procured the services 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. l8$ 

of such an unsuitable instructor ; but the fact was, that 
he had been engaged by the principal’s agent on the 
strength of his classical attainments, rather than his 
fitness for the place. He had been so unpopular as a 
tutor and professor that no institution could long 
enjoy his services, valuable as they were in an intellec- 
tual point of view. 

At twelve o’clock orders came from Mr. Lowinsrton 
to dismiss school, and to dress the Josephine for visitors. 
All hands were called, and in a short time the vessel 
wore her gayest attire. A line of fiags was extended 
from the end of the jib-boom over the topmast-heads 
to the end of the main boom. The flag of Belgium, 
which consists of black, yellow, and red in equal parts, 
perpendicularly divided, floated at the foremast head. 
The Young America was similarly decorated, and the 
Victoria and Albert hoisted the royal standard of the 
United Kingdom, which is a magnificent affair, con- 
sisting of four squares, two, in opposite corners, being 
red, one blue and one yellow, with a harp and the 
lions and unicorns worked upon the squares. 

At half past twelve, the professors’ barge, with the 
American flag in the stern, and the Belgian in the bow, 
put off from the ship and pulled to the Qiiai Vandj'ck. 
The eminent individual who was to be received by the 
squadron was no less a personage than the governor 
of the Province of Antwerp, an office once filled by 
the distinguished Charles Rogier, the present minister 
of foreign affairs. 

As the boat containing his excellency put oft' from 
the ouay, the yards of both vessels were manned. All 
the Snidents were dressed in their best uniform, and 
16 * 


t8 6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


the display was really quite imposing. The governor 
went on board of the ship, was duly cheered by the 
students, and he visited every part of the vessel. After 
he had partaken of a collation in the main cabin, he 
left the ship, accompanied by Mr. Lowington, and 
visited the Josephine. Everything appeared to the 
best advantage, and his excellency expressed himself 
as highly delighted with the naval institution. 

All the officers and professors were presented to the 
distinguished guest, who took a great deal of notice 
of Paul, and hardly any of Mr. Hamblin — a muddling 
of distinctions which sore puzzled and annoyed the 
savant. Not even Mr. Lowington could have sus- 
pected that the Josephines were in a state of feverish 
excitement, and had been almost in a state of mutiny, 
so fair and pleasant was the outside aspect of the 
ship’s company. The governor, having completed his 
inspection of the vessel, invited all the officers to dine 
with him, and was then landed with as much ceremony 
as be had been received. 

Mr. Lowington accompanied the governor to the 
quay, and on his return he went on board of the Jose- 
phine to announce his programme for a visit to several 
of the cities of Belgium. All hands were called, and 
were informed that the next three days would be 
devoted to sight-seeing, and that the students would 
take the train for Ghent at half past two. The ship’s 
com]: ny heard the intelligence with a coolness which 
did n t escape the notice of the principal ; but he 
soon received an explanation of this apparent indiffer- 
ence. 

“ I am very sorry, Mr. Lowington,” said Professor 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1S7 

Hamblin, stepping up to him, as he descended from 
the hatch, “ to be again compelled to complain to you 
of the misconduct of Mr. Kendalb This morning he 
threatened to arrest me and send me in irons on board 
of the ship — me , sir ! He actually sent for the boat- 
swain and carpenter for this purpose.” 

“ Captain Kendall ! ” exclaimed the principal, an- 
noyed beyond measure at this recital of grievance. 
“ There must have been some strong provocation.” 

“ Could anything justify such a threat, or such a 
course ? ” 

“We will not speak of this subject here,” added the 
principal, when he saw that the eyes of every student 
on board were fixed upon them. 

“ Something should be done immediately,” replied 
Mr. Hamblin, decidedly. 

“ I have not time to hear the case now. We take 
the train for Ghent in less than an hour. I will see 
you in the railway carriage.” 

Mr. Lowington moved towards the gangway, where 
the barge was waiting for him ; but Paul, his cheeks 
all aglow, stepped up to him, and touched his cap. 

“Mr. Lowington,” said he, “I wish to make a com- 
plaint against Mr. Hamblin. He interferes with the 
discipline of the vessel, is very insulting to me ; and 
I must ask that he be removed from the Josephine, 
or that I may be permitted to resign.” 

“ I am very sorry you are having any trouble here ; 
but I cannot stay now to hear about it. I will see you 
on the train.” 

“ Excuse me, one moment, Mr. Lowington,” added 
the savant of the Josephine, as the principal was 


1 88 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


going over the side. “ I wish to inquire if we make 
any stay in Brussels?” 

“ We shall probably remain there one day.” 

“I have an invitation to visit Monsieur Rog.’er, the 
chief minister of the King of Belgium, and should 
like to accept it,” added Mr. Hamblin, who thought 
it would be well for the principal to know this fact 
before he thought much of the difficulty between 
himself and the captain. 

“You will have ample time,” answered Mr. Low- 
ington, as he stepped over the side into the boat. 

At two o’clock all hands embarked in a ferry-boat, 
which conveyed them to the Tete de Flandre, oppo- 
site Antwerp, where the Ghent railway station is 
located. By the good offices of the governor of 
Antwerp, a special train had been procured for 
their accommodation, and the carriages were to be 
at the disposal of the principal for the entire round 
of the Belgian cities. By this arrangement, the tourists 
were enabled to make the tour in the brief space allot- 
ted to it. They were to spend a day in the capital, 
but only one or two hours in each of the other places. 

In Belgium about two thirds of all the railways are 
owned or leased by the government, which runs the 
roads, and even those which are in the hands of cor- 
porations will eventually revert to the state. They 
are exceedingly well managed, and very few accidents 
occur upon them ; but they run at a low rate of speed, 
compared with the English railways. The fares are 
about three cents a mile, which is below the average 
in Europe. 

Mr. Lowington selected a compartment in one of 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1S9 

the carriages, and arranged his party so as to transact 
the disagreeable business on hand during the trip. 
Dr. Winstock and Paul sat at one end of the section, 
and Mr. Stoute and Terrill at the other, while Mr. 
Lowington and Professor Hamblin occupied the mid- 
dle seats. The two students were allowed to occupy 
the places at the windows, so that they could* see the 
country which they passed through ; for the principal 
deemed this as important for them as their lessons ; in 
fact, it was a study of geography. The train moved 
off, bearing the company through a low country, not 
very attractive in itself, though the little farms, gar- 
dens, villages and towns were full of interest to young 
men like Paul. * 

“ Now, Mr. Hamblin, I am ready to hear your com- 
plaints,” said Mr. Lowington, after the train had passed 
out of the station. “ Captain Kendall, you may give 
your attention to it, though you can look out of the 
window at the same time.” 

“Am I to be confronted with that boy?” demanded 
the professor, indignantly. 

“That boy!” replied Mr. Lowington. “I am to 
hear what you and Captain Kendall have to say. Go 
on, if you please, sir.” 

“ You will remember that one of the students, 
McDougal, was sent on board of the ship this morn- 
ing,” Mr. Hamblin began, though he was utterly 
disgusted because he was obliged to make his com- 
plaint in the presence of Paul. 

“ I remember it.” 

“ The offence which that boy committed was against 
me personally. As he explained the case to me, and 


190 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


made a very humble apology, I was willing to forgive 
him. I intimated to the officer of the deck that he 
need not report the matter to the captain ; but it was 
reported to the captain, and when I w'ent on deck, 
after breakfast, I found the students had been assem- 
bled. Mr. Kendall addressed them, with which I had 
no fault to find. But you can judge of my astonish- 
ment when he called up McDougal, and ordered a 
boat to convey him on board of the ship, thus sub- 
jecting him to the severest punishment known to 
the students of the Josephine. 

“ I deemed it my duty to interfere, which I did in 
the most civil manner. I respectfully protested against 
the action of the captain. I say I deemed it my duty 
to interfere.” 

Mr. Hamblin paused, and looked at' the principal. 
He wished him to say that he also deemed it his dutv 
to interfere ; but Mr. Lowington did not say that, or 
anything else, and waited till the professor was ready 
to proceed. 

“ I remonstrated with Mr. Kendall, and he saw fit 
to disregard my protest. I demanded that his order 
should be rescinded ; but he was haughty and impu- 
dent in his manner. He told me that the boy should 
be sent to the ship. He appeared to be utterly want- 
ing in judgment, though, up to this time, I had re- 
monstrated only in the mildest terms. He informed 
me, in the most offensive manner, that he was the 
captain of the vessel.” 

At this point Mr. Lowington bit his lips, to repress 
a smile which was involuntarily manifesting itself on 
his face. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 191 

“ Finally, sir, he sent for the boatswain and carpen- 
ter, And threatened to have me conveyed to the ship 
in irons. It was not enough to say he would send 
me to the ship, but he would send me in irons ! -Did 
ever a boy speak to a man like that before? In col- 
lege, academy, and school, I have always been master ; 
but here I find myself subject to the will of a stripling 
of sixteen or seventeen ! ” 

Mr. Hamblin finished his narrative, set his teeth 
tight together, and threw himself back in his seat to 
await the decision of the principal. 

“ Captain Kendall, I will hear your version of this 
affair,” said Mr. Lowington, mildly. 

The professor made a movement as if to spring to 
his feet. The proceedings seemed to be very irregu- 
lar. He wanted the decision made upon his state- 
ment ; and it appeared like an insult to him to ask a 
student for his version of the affair after the instructor 
had spoken. 

“ When I was informed thatMcDougal had directed 
the hose-pipe at Mr. Hamblin,” said Paul, “ I decided 
to make an example of him ; for I had a hint that the 
students intended to annoy the senior professor, and 
this was the third time something had happened to 
him. I was satisfied that the act was done on pur- 
pose, though I could not prove it.” 

“ It was not done on purpose,” interposed Mr. 
Hamblin, wrathfully. “McDougal, on his knees — ” 

“ You will be kind enough not to interrupt Captain 
Kendall,” said Mr. Lowington, mildly, but firmly. 

“ I decided to send him on board of the ship, and 
directed the second lieutenant to report the circum- 


192 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


stances to you. Before the boat had shoved off, Mr. 
Hamblin called me aside, and objected to my action. 
He said the affair was personal with him, and he was 
surprised that I had interfered with it. I replied that 
the matter affected the discipline of the crew, and that 
I should send McDougal on board of the ship. He 
was angry then, spoke of my lack of judgment, 
and said the boy should not be sent to the ship. I 
told him then, as decidedly as I knew how, that I 
commanded the vessel.” 

“ Yes, sir ; that he commanded the vessel ! ” said 
Mr. Hamblin, with much excitement. 

“ Go on, Captain Kendall,” added Mr. Lowington. 

“ He used some strong language then, and I told 
him I had nothing more to say. As I was walking 
away, he told me to stop, and called me a puppy. He 
repeated the expression, and then I sent for Mr. Cleats 
and Mr. Gage. They came, and I informed Mr. 
Hamblin that if he applied another offensive epithet to 
me, I would send him on board the ship in irons.” 

“Yes, sir i send me to the ship in irons! Could 
you have conceived of such an indignity?” ex- 
claimed the professor. Am I a common sailor? Am 
I a servant? Am I a student? or am I the senior pro- 
fessor of the consort ? ” 

“ Did you speak to Captain Kendall of his lack of 
judgment, Mr. Hamblin? ” asked the principal. 

“ I did, most assuredly ; and I am free to say that a 
child would have exhibited more judgment than he 
did,” replied the professor, warmly. 

“ Did you say that McDougal should not be sent on 
board of the ship?” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 1 93 

“ I did ; it was an outrage upon the boy after he 
had begged my pardon with his knees on the wet 
deck ; and it was an outrage upon me, who had for- 
given his offence.” 

“ Did you call Captain Kendall a puppy on the 
quarter-deck of the Josephine?” 

“ I don’t know whether it was on the quarter-deck 
or the half-deck.” 

“ Oblige me by answering my question.” 

“ Perhaps I did,” replied Mr. Hamblin, looking upon 
the floor of the carriage ; for this, he was conscious, was 
his weak point. 

“ I must ask you either to affirm or deny that por- 
tion of Captain Kendall’s complaint.” 

“ If I did, it was because I had been snubbed and 
insulted by a pupil.” 

“ You do not answer me, sir.” 

“ I did ; and I am willing to acknowledge it was 
highly improper; but I was — ” 

“ It is not necessary to explain it,” interposed Mr. 
Lowington. “ I desire now only to obtain the facts. 
You applied this epithet twice to Captain Kendall — 
did you ? ” 

“ Possibly I did. I was much excited.” 

“ Affirm or deny it, if you please.” 

“ I will grant that I did, though I do not now dis- 
tinctly remember. It was wrong for me to use such 
language under any circumstances, but I have not 
been in the habit of being snubbed by my pupils.” 

“ Is there any other material fact you wish to add, 
Mr. Hamblin?” asked the principal. 

“ Nothing more is needed, I think,” replied the pro- 
17 


i 9 4 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


fessor, who really believed that he had overwhelmed 
Paul, in spite of the conscious disadvantage he labored 
under in having used intemperate language himself. 
“ It is plain enough that Mr. Kendall and I cannot get 
along together in the same vessel.” 

“ That is plain enough,” added Mr. Lowington. 
“ I had requested Professor Stoute and Mr. Terrill to 
take seats in this carriage in order to afford any in- 
formation we might need ; but I find the facts in the 
case are not disputed. On the material points, there is 
no difference of statement between Mr. Hamblin and 
Captain Kendall. I shall reserve my decision till we 
return to the vessels.” 

“ It will be impossible for me to do my duty to the 
students on board of the Josephine while Mr. Kendall 
is in command of her,” said the professor, who wanted 
the decision at once, so confident was he that the 
principal could not sustain the young commander this 
time. 

“ I shall arrange it so that you and Captain Kendall 
will no longer sail in the same vessels.” 

That was very indefinite, but something was to be 
done ; and this was all the comfort the professor re- 
ceived. Paul was much agitated, and Dr. Winstock 
talked to him for half an hour before he could fix his 
attention upon the novelties of the country hurried in 
panorama before him. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 19c; 


CHAPTER XII. 

“ in Belgium’s capital.” 

G AND ! ” shouted the guard, as he walked along 
the step before the doors of the compartments, 
just as the train entered the station. 

“ I suppose that means Ghent,” said Paul. 

“Yes; Gand is the French name of the place,” 
replied Dr. Winstock. “ There are many cities in 
Europe which you would not recognize by their for- 
eign appellations.” 

As the train stopped the whistle of the Young 
America’s boatswain called the students together, and 
Mr. Lowington told them they could stay only two 
hours in the place. 

“ Ghent is situated at the junction of tlfe River Lys 
with the Scheldt,” said Professor Mapps, who, to the 
astonishment of the boys, seemed to be plumed for a 
lecture. “ The numerous branches of these rivers, 
either natural or artificial, form canals which extend 
in all directions through the city. The town may be 
said to be composed of twenty-six islands, which are 
connected together by no less than eighty bridges. 
The grand canal extends from the lower Scheldt to 
the town, by means of which ships drawing eighteen 
leet can come up to the basin. All these canals are 


196 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


navigable for boats or vessels. It is surrounded by a 
wall seven or eight miles in extent, for its defence. 
On the grand canal, half way between the city and 
the West Scheldt, there are sluices, by which the 
whole country' could be laid under water in case of 
invasion by an enemy. 

“Ghent has been called the Manchester of Belgium, 
on account of its being so largely engaged in cotton 
manufactures. Its factories are operated by steam 
power. The population in 1863 was one hundred and 
twenty-two thousand. The cultivation of flowers is 
largely carried on here, there being about four hun- 
dred hot-houses in the immediate vicinity of the city. 

“ Ghent is a very old city, and occupies a prominent 
place in history. In the days of Charles the Bold it 
was the capital of Flanders. Charles V., Emperor 
of Germany, was born here. It was formerly a city 
of vast importance, and at one time its wealth and 
power liad increased to such an extent, that it was 
regarded as the rival of Paris. ‘ ye mettrais Paris 
dans mon GandJ Charles V. used to say, as he proud- 
ly contemplated this great city. What does it mean?” 

“ I could put Paris into my glove,” replied one of 
the French scholars near the professor. “ But gant 
is the French word for glove." 

“ Near enough for a pun, and much nearer than 
modern punsters often get it,” continued Mr. Mapps. 
“ Ghent, in former days, had the reputation of being 
a turbulent city, and its people were bold and warlike. 
They have always been forward in asserting and de- 
fending their liberties ; and you will find that the 
burghers of Ghent figure largely in Mr. Motley’s 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 197 

Histories. I will not detain you longer now, but, as 
we pass through the city, I shall have something more 
to say about its historic character.” 

A sufficient number of vehicles had been gathered 
during the professor’s lecture to enable the students to 
make the most of their limited time in Ghent. They 
went first to the Beffroi , or Belfry-tower. It is a kind 
of watch-tower, two hundred and eighty feet high, 
built in the twelfth century. The structure is square, 
and is surmounted by a gilt dragon. It contains a 
chime of bells, and a huge bell weighing five tons. 
The records of the city were formerly kept in the 
lower part of the building, which is now degraded 
into a prison. The entrance to the tower is through 
a shop, and the view from the top is very fine. 

The Cathedral of St. Bavon, the Church of St. 
Michael, and the Hotel de Ville, or Town Hall, were 
pointed out, and the carriages stopped in the Marche 
au Vendredi, a large square, or market-place, which 
takes its name from the day on which the sale is held. 
The phrase means Friday Market. Mr. Mapps ex- 
plained the use of the square, and pointed out the an- 
cient buildings with Flemish gables, which look like a 
flight of stairs on each slope, which surrounds it. 

“ This was the grand meeting-place of the citizens 
of Ghent,” he continued ; “ the counts of Flanders 
were inaugurated here with great ceremony and 
splendor. Here the trades-unions, or societies of 
weavers, used to meet. Here the standard of rebel- 
lion was planted, and the people rallied around it to 
overthrow their oppressors. Here Jacques van Arte- 
velde, the Brewer of Ghent, encountered a hostile 
17* 


198 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


association, and* fought one of the most furious com- 
bats known in history. He was called the Brewer of 
Ghent, because, though of noble family, he joined the 
society of brewers to flatter the vanity of the lower 
classes. His partisans were chiefly weavers, and his 
opponents the fullers. In the midst of the strife the 
host — the consecrated bread and wine of the Catholic 
mass — was brought into the square, in order to sepa- 
rate the furious artisans ; but it was disregarded, and 
the bodies of fifteen hundred citizens were left on this 
spot. 

“ Van Artevelde, whose statue you see before you,” 
added the professor, pointing to the object, “ was a 
person of great influence. He was the ally of Edward 
III. of England, and had raised himself to the posi- 
tion of Rwwaert , or Protector of Flanders, by banish- 
ing its hereditary counts. By his advice, the King of 
England had added the Jieur de l is , or lilies of France, 
to the British arms, claiming to be King of France. 
He courted the aid of the Flemish people, who were 
very powerful, — for it was said that Ghent alone could 
furnish eighty thousand fighting men, — in order to 
establish his claim to rule France. 

“ Edward obtained the assistance of the Flemings ; 
but he did not conquer France, though he gained 
some splendid victories, in which the famous Black 
Prince figured. Van Artevelde began to dread the 
vengeance of the hereditary counts of Flanders, whose 
power he had usurped, and in 1344 he invited Edward 
to meet him at Sluis. Here the Brewer proposed to 
make Edward’s son — the Black Prince — sovereign 
of Flanders, in order to secure the protection of 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. I99 

England. lie relied upon his influence with the citi- 
zens to induce them to submit to this arrangement ; 
but the stout burghers rejected the proposal with con- 
tempt and indignation. 

“ During Van Arteveldt’s absence, a popular insur- 
rection was fomented against him ; and, on his return, 
as he rode through the streets, he was made conscious 
of the storm that was brewing against the Brewer. 
He went to his house, and barricaded the doors ; but 
the street was soon filled by the mob. He addressed 
them from a window ; but they would not hear him, 
and he attempted to escape by a back door into an 
adjoining church. Failing to accomplish this purpose, 
the infuriated people broke in upon him, and he was 
killed. 

“ In this square, also, were kindled the fires of the 
Inquisition by the Duke of Alva, at the command of 
Philip II., and thousands perished in the barbarous 
persecution. 

“ The rebellious spirit of the people of Ghent was 
very trying to Charles V. He demanded of them an 
enormous sum of money, to enable him to carry on a 
war against France. The burghers put the town in a 
state of defence, and privately offered their allegiance 
to Francis I. of France. He declined the offer, and 
maliciously informed Charles of it, who marched an 
army through France to punish the treason of his sub- 
jects in Ghent. Commanding this army in person, he 
reached the gates of the city, and surrounded its walls, 
before the people were aware of his presence. 

“ The utmost consternation prevailed in the town, 
and messengers were sent to the emperor to sue for 


200 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


forgiveness. Without granting any terms to the rebels, 
he imperiously demanded that the gates should be 
opened. His command was obeyed, and the Spanish 
army marched into the town. The Duke of Alva 
suggested that the entire city should be destroyed ; but 
Charles satisfied himself with beheading fourteen of 
the ringleaders of the rebellion, and confiscating their 
property. The principal officers of the city were or- 
dered to appear before the emperor barefoot and bare- 
headed, clothed in black gowns, and with halters 
around their necks. They were compelled to sue for 
pardon on their knees. As an additional penalty, the 
magistrates were forbidden to appear in public without 
a halter on their necks, as a badge of their ignominy. 
The rope was worn ; but, in the lapse of time, it be- 
came a silken cord, -tied in a true-lover’s knot, and was 
regarded as an ornament which the magistrate could 
not dispense with. 

“ In 1570, when the people attempted to shake oft' 
the Spanish rule, the citadel or fortress at the Porte 
d’Anvers (which has been demolished) was besieged 
by the Prince of Orange. It was gallantly defended 
by the Spaniards for a long time ; but, at last, three 
thousand of the burghers of Ghent, clothed in white 
shirts as a distinguishing mark, assaulted the citadel. 
Their scaling-ladders W’ere not long enough, and the 
attack failed. On the following day, while prepara- 
tions were in progress to renew the attack, the Span- 
iards capitulated. When suitable terms had been 
agreed upon, the garrison, only one hundred and fifty 
in number, marched out under the command of a wo- 
man. It appeared then that the governor of the for- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 201 


tress was absent, and that the Spaniards had been com- 
manded, during the protracted siege, by his wife.” 

This was rather a long speech to be made in the 
public square ; but the boys, interested in the profess- 
or’s remarks, gathered closely around him ; and it is 
not probable that many of the Ghenters who had been 
attracted to the square by the unwonted scene under- 
stood a word that was said. The carriages next pro- 
ceeded to the Beguinage, a kind of convent or nunnery. 
The establishment is a little town by itself, with streets, 
squares, and gates, and is surrounded by a wall and 
moat. In the centre there is a church. The houses 
are occupied by the Beguines, a sisterhood of nuns in 
Belgium which has six thousand members. They are 
bound by no vows, as ordinary nuns are, and may 
therefore return to the world at pleasure, marry, and 
come back in their widowhood. They act as Sisters 
of Charity in the city, and some of them are wealthy ; 
but all wear the garb of the order. There are about 
six hundred of them in this colony. On the door of 
each house is the name of the patron saint of the 
occupant. 

The drive was continued through some of the prin- 
cipal streets of Ghent ; and, within a few moments of 
the appointed time, the students were again seated in 
the railway carriages. The road to Bruges extends 
along the side of the canal from Ostend to Ghent, 
which has high banks, lined nearly all the way with 
tall trees. The view from the windows of the train 
was interesting rather than picturesque. In an hour 
the train stopped at its destination ; but it was after 
six o’clock, and there was no time for Professor Mapps 


202 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


to make any long speeches, though Bruges had a his- 
tory hardly less exciting than that of Ghent. It takes 
its name from the great number of bridges which it 
contains ; for the place, like Ghent, is cut up by canals. 

Bruges was once a rich and powerful city, reputed 
to contain two hundred thousand inhabitants ; but, like 
nearly all the Flemish cities, it has declined from its 
former grandeur, and now contains only fifty-one thou- 
sand, nearly a third of whom are paupers. In the 
fifteenth century, the Dukes of Burgundy held their 
court here ; it had an immense foreign commerce, and 
its warehouses were filled with the silks and woollens 
manufactured in the vicinity. All this has passed 
away, the town has the aspect of a ruined place, 
and its lofty and elegant public buildings — the re- 
mains of former prosperity — seem to mock its present 
desolation. 

Fine houses may be hired in Bruges at a rent of 
from sixty to a hundred dollars a year. It is said that 
a house has not been built in the city for a century, for 
the reason that its diminishing inhabitants were more 
than supplied by those which had once accommodated 
four times its present population. The place is dead 
and dull. The streets are nearly empty. A man-ser- 
vant finds himself upon a hundred dollars a year, and 
a French teacher charges twenty cents an hour for his 
services. 

The Church of Notre Dame contains the tombs of 
Charles the Bold and of his daughter Mary. La 
Chapelle du Saint Sang takes its name from several 
drops of the blood of the Savior, which are said to 
have been brought from the Holy Land. They were 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 203 

presented to the town, and are kept in a richly jewelled 
shrine, which is exhibited to visitors at half a franc 
a head. The famous order of the Knights of the Gold- 
en Fleece, so often mentioned by Motley, whose em- 
blems are seen in many of the churches of Belgium, 
was established at Bruges, by Philip the Good, Duke 
of Burgundy. The weavers of Flanders had carried 
the manufacture of wool to a degree of perfection 
which added greatly to the prosperity of the country, 
and the Golden Fleece was a fitting symbol of the in- 
dustry of the people, as well as a compliment to their 
skill. 

The great point of interest in Bruges to the students 
of the squadron was “ The Belfry of Bruges,” which 
Longfellow has celebrated in his poem of that name, 
and in the “ Carillon.” It is a beautiful Gothic tower, 
on an antique building known as Les Halles , or The 
Market, a part of which was intended for a meat mar- 
ket, and a part for a cloth hall. The spire, or belfry, 
is two hundred and ninety feet high. It contains the 
finest set of chimes in Europe. They play four times 
an hour, and their music is almost incessant. The 
machinery by which they are operated consists of an 
immense metallic cylinder, or drum, covered all over 
with cogs and pins, like that in a music-box. As this 
drum turns by the action of a huge weight, the pins 
strike against the levers that communicate with the 
bells. For half an hour on Sunday they are played 
by hand, as at Antwerp. 

The praise bestowed upon the chimes seemed to the 
students to be well merited. There is nothing more 
touching and beautiful than the music of these bells. 


204 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


The boys could not help taking in the inspiration they 
imparted ; and when it transpired that Mr. Modelle, 
the professor of elocution, had a copy of Longfellow 
in his pocket, they almost unanimously insisted that 
the poems relating to the scene should be read. They 
gathered around him, the circle closely flanked by the 
men, women, and children of the dull old town, who 
had apparently been roused from their lethargy by the 
advent of the young Americans. In his deep bass 
tones he read the Carillon first. 

“ In the ancient town of Bruges, 

In the quaint old Flemish city, 

As the evening shades descended, 

Low and loud, and sweetly blended, 

Low at times and loud at times, 

And changing like a poet’s rhymes, 

Rang the beautiful wild chimes 
From the belfry in the market 
Of the ancient town of Bruges.” 

The students listened with almost breathless inter- 
est till the last line of the “Belfry” was read; there 
was something so grand and beautiful in the poem 
itself, as the images of the past are brought up, — 

“I beheld the pageants, splendid, 

That adorned those days of old : 

Stately dames like queens attended, 

Knights who bore the Fleece of Gold,” — 

and something in the association of the living lines 
with the real belfry of Bruges before them, that the 
impression was one to be remembered for years. 

After a hasty walk through a couple of the ancient 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 205 

streets of the city, the students returned to the rail- 
road station, and the train started for Brussels, a ride 
of about two hours from Bruges. It was half past 
nine when they arrived at the capital of Belgium. 
The party were greeted by Mr. Fluxion, who had been 
sent direct from Antwerp to make arrangements for 
their stay over night. Captain Kendall, his officers 
and crew, were sent to the Hotel Royal in the Rue 
Fosse aux Loups. It was a small hotel, but very nice 
and comfortable. Mr. Molenscho^, the proprietor, 
spoke English, but he appeared to be the only person 
in the house who could do so. He was very polite 
and attentive to the students, and spoke familiarly and 
pleasantly to them about “ my hotel.” 

Mr. Fluxion himself had a faculty for keeping a 
hotel, and understood precisely what tired travellers 
wanted when they came in late in the evening; and 
he had ordered, in addition to the the complete the bif- 
stek and pomme de terre. The boys were as hungry 
as wolves, and the solid part of the entertainment was 
very inviting. Each dish of beefsteak was covered 
over with nicely browned fried potatoes. In a few 
moments there was hardly a vestige of the feast re- 
maining on the table. 

The Young America’s ship’s company were quar- 
tered at the Hotel de l’Univers, and the Hotel de 
Suede, so that the party was separated ; and Paul was 
rather glad of it, because there were some belonging 
to the ship who were not influenced by the motives 
which prevailed in the Josephine. He could control 
his crew, even without the aid of Mr. Fluxion, who, 
with several of the professors also lodged at the Royal. 
iS 


206 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


They were a jolly party at the supper table ; and as 
none of the waiters spoke a word of English, there was 
a great deal of fun made in giving their orders ; but 
everybody was remarkably good-natured, including 
the waiters themselves. 

“ Waiter,” called Lynch, who, as a general rule, was 
not guilty of knowing much about any of his studies, 
“ bring me the bur” 

The servant took no notice of him. 

“Call him a garpon,” said Grossbeck. 

“ Garmon ! ” shouted Lynch. 

“ Monsieur” replied the man. 

“ Bring me the bur ” 

“You might as well call for a Canada thistle,” 
laughed Duncan, who was one of the best French 
scholars in the Josephine. 

“ I want some butter ; I have eaten up all the bif- 
stek , and all the ponime de tcrres , and now I want 
some bread and butter. These fellows don’t under- 
stand their own language.” 

“ M' apportez du beurre ,” added Duncan. 

“ Oui, oui, oui!” exclaimed the waiter, producing 
the required article. 

“ That’s the idea,” replied Lynch ; “ that man’s 
improving. But this beurre is so fresh I can’t eat it ; 
I want some salt.” 

“ Call for it, then,” laughed Duncan. 

“ I will ; here’s a go. Garpon, mapperty sellier ! ” 

“ Good ! ” roared Duncan. “ If we had a saddle 
of mutton for supper, I should suppose you would 
want what you called for.” 

“ I want the salt.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 20/ 

“ I thought you did ; and that’s the reason why you 
called for a saddler.” 

“ I didn’t call for any saddler. I said sellier.” 

“ Precisely so ; and that is a saddler.” 

“ What shall I say ? ” 

“ Sel.” 

“ Sel ; sellier. Well, I knew there was a sell 
about it somewhere.” 

“ Precisely ; but you were sold. I advise you not 
to make any long speeches in French.” 

“ You may bet your life I shall not,” replied 
Lynch. 

“Just mention the thing you want in one word; 
then you won’t confuse the gar$on's intellect by flood- 
ing it with ideas.” 

“ Gargon — sel” added Lynch, acting upon this 
excellent advice. 

The waiter brought the sel , and nobody was sold 
this time. 

“ I think I shall pick up the French language in 
time,” added Lynch, encouraged by his success. 

“ Perhaps you will, but the Hotel Royal will have 
crumbled to dust before that happy event occurs.” 

There was any quantity of blunders made at the 
table, and some of the students had nearly choked 
themselves to death with laughing at them, and at 
the blank looks of the waiters when spoken to in a 
tongue which Mr. Fluxion declared sounded more 
like Low Dutch than decent French. Mr. Molenschot 
laughed too, and intimated that “my hotel” had 
never been so lively before. 

“What now, Captain Kendall?” said Mr. Fluxion, 
when the supper and the blunders had ended. 


208 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ My officers and crew wish to take a little walk," 
replied Paul. 

“ What ! to-night? It is after ten o’clock.” 

“ They wish to see how ‘ Belgium’s capital ’ looks 
in the evening.” 

“ Of course you can do as you think best ; but I 
advise you to be cautious with them. They may get 
into trouble in a strange city, or get lost. If some of 
them can’t speak French any better than they did at 
supper, they will have to go to the watch-house, 
because they can’t ask the way back.” 

“ They can say Hotel Royal. None of my crew 
have ever got into trouble since the ship’s company 
was organized,” added Paul, who wanted to go out 
himself, and could not deny to others what he took 
himself. 

The permission was given to walk till eleven 
o’clock, but the boys were admonished to behave 
properly, and to return punctually. Lynch and 
Grossbeck, who still clung together as fast friends, 
left the hotel in company. 

“This is jolly -r- isn’t it?” said Lynch, as they 
passed out of the Rue Fosse aux Loups into the 
Place de la Monnaie, a small square in front of the 
Theatre Royal. 

“ For less than an hour,” added Grossbeck, 
gloomily. 

“We don’t understand French, and so we can’t 
tell what time it is,” laughed Lynch. 

“ That won’t go down. We were told to be back 
at eleven.” 

“ But if we don’t know what time it is, we can’t be 
tied to the bell-rope.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 20C ) 


“ No use ; the captain knows the boom from the 
bobstay, and if he isn’t a Knight of the Golden 
Fleece, you can’t pull wool over his eyes. You 
know he put McDougal through this morning.” 

“ Well, come along. We’ll have a good time 
while it does last,” replied Lynch, apparently ap- 
palled by recalling the summary treatment of his 
shipmate. 

“ Everybody seems to be having a good time here,” 
said Grossbeck, as they passed a cafe , in front of which 
were a great number of small tables, at which gentle- 
men were drinking, smoking, and carrying on noisy 
conversation. “ I don’t see any reason why we should 
not. What are they drinking there?” 

“ Beer, or wine, I suppose,” answered Lynch, as 
he led the way he knew not whither, turning to the 
left, because the street in that direction looked more 
lively than the others. 

There was nothing to be seen, as most of the shops 
were closed ; but they continued on their way till 
they came to a kind of arcade, a building which con- 
tained a broad passage-way, opening from the street, 
with a large number of little shops on either side. 

The interior was brilliantly lighted, and most of 
the small stores were devoted to fancy goods and 
other showy articles. The young seamen entered the 
arcade, in which many people were promenading. 

“They say this city is a ^econd edition of Paris on 
a small scale,” continued Lynch. “ This is very well 
got up ; but from what I have seen of the town, it 
looks like a one-horse city. The streets are not much 
wider than a cow-path.” 

18* 


210 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ But they say it is like Paris,” added Grossbeck. 

“ My eyes ! there’s a clock that speaks English ! 
It is half past ten,” exclaimed Lynch. “ But I’m not 
going back to the Hotel Royal till I’ve had a little 
fun. There’s a what-you-call-it, where they sell wine. 
Let’s go in, and see what it’s like.” 

The place indicated was a wine-shop, and the two 
boys entered, seating themselves at one of the little 
tables. The prompt waiter came to them, bowed and 
scraped, and flourished a napkin, and hinted that he 
would be happy to take their order. 

“ What will you have, Grossbeck? ” 

“ I’ll take a glass of wine.” 

“ Let’s see you take it ! ” laughed Lynch. “ What 
shall we call for? I don’t remember a word of 
French, now that I want to use it.” 

“ Perhaps the gar^on can speak English. Ask 
him.” 

“Ask him? What shall I say?” 

,“0, I know. Parlez-vous Angleterre?” added 
Grossbeck, turning to the waiter. 

“ Non , monsieur ,” replied the waiter, who did not 
speak “ England.” 

“ O, confound it! What’s the Dutch for wine?’ 
demanded Lynch, impatiently. 

“ I know — cau dc vie. Garmon, eau de vie” 
replied Grossbeck, confidently. 

The waiter disappeared, and presently returned 
with a small decanter and two minute wine-glasses. 

“ I knew eau de vie would bring it,” added Gross- 
beck, as he filled the little glasses. 

“ That’s pretty strong wine,” said Lynch, when 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 21 1 


he had swallowed the contents of the glass with a 
very wry face. 

“ That’s so.” 

They looked about them till the clock indicated 
that it was time to start for the hotel ; but they 
decided to repeat the dose from the decanter, and 
did so. 

“ That’s the strongest wine I ever drank,” said 
Grossbeck. 

“ How much is it?” asked Lynch. 

“ Let’s see — combien ?” 

“ Un franc cinquante centimes ,” replied the waiter, 
after he had glanced at a gauge on the decanter which 
indicated the quantity of the fiery fluid that had been 
consumed. 

Neither of them could understand the answer, and 
Grossbeck handed the gargon a franc. The man 
shook his head, and held out his hand for more. 
Lynch gave him another franc, and he returned a 
half franc piece. 

“ Pour boire? ” said the man with a winning 
smile. 

‘‘Poor bwar! Who’s he?” demanded Lynch, in 
whose head the strong water was producing its effect. 
“ He means ‘ poor boy.’ I say, Grossbeck, does he 
think I’m — I’m sizzled? I feel so myself. Come, 
let’s go.” 

They rose, and moved in a serpentine path to the 
door. 

“ Pour boire ?” repeated the gargon, following 
them. 

“ That’s what’s the matter. I’m a poor boy ! I 


212 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


was a fool to drink more’n one nip of yonr cam- 
phene,” hickuped Lynch. “ Here, old fellow, here’s a 
half of one of those francs. Don’t say nothing more 
about it. I’m a poor boy, but I shall get over it.” 

The young tippler handed the half-franc piece to 
the waiter, who bowed, scraped, flourished his nap- 
kin, and fled. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 213 


CHAPTER XIII. 

THREE CHEERS FOR THE KING OF BELGIUM. 

I SAY, Grossbeck, you and I are two bigger fools 
than Napoleon was when he went to Russia,” said 
Lynch, as they reached the street again. 

“ That’s so. ‘ There was a sound of revelry by 
night, and Belgium’s capital ’ — got considerably 
mixed,” replied Grossbeck, whose head was not 
quite so full as his companion’s. 

“What shall we do, my hoy?” stammered Lynch. 
“ That wine was nothing short of camphene. We 
shall be seen by the captain, and we shall both he 
sent to keep company with poor McDougal. We’ve 
lost our mess on the Josephine.” 

“ Stiffen up, Lynch. Don’t give way to it. What 
sort of a sailor are you, that can’t hear two thimble- 
fuls of wine?” 

“ That wine was camphene, I tell you. It feels just 
like a whole hunch of friction matches touched off at 
once in my stomach — that’s so. I’m a poor boy and 
no mistake, Grossbeck.” 

Lynch suddenly stopped, and grasped his compan- 
ion by the arm. 

“ What’s the matter,” demanded Grossbeck. 

“ It’s no use for me to drink wine. The eau de vid 


214 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


carries too many guns for me. I’ll tell you what I’m 
going to do. I’m going to get out of this scrape.” 

“ So am I ; but come along, or we shall be late.” 

“ I’m going to join the temperance society, and 
never drink any more wine — not another drop of 
cau dc vie for me.” 

Lynch evidently felt that he had got into trouble 
for nothing ; that .the satisfaction of drinking the fire- 
water was very unsatisfactory in the end. He had 
sense enough left to see that disgrace and degrada- 
tion awaited him, and he dreaded the prompt action 
of Captain Kendall, as exhibited in the case of 
McDougal. While still suffering from the effects 
of the tipple, he resolved to drink no more ; but 
pledges made in the heat of intoxication are not the 
most hopeful ones. 

The boosy youngsters worried along the street ; but 
instead of turning to the right, into the Rue de la 
Monnaie, they went straight ahead, and were soon 
lost in a maze of narrow streets. They were con- 
scious that they had gone astray, and looked in vain 
for the square in front of the Theatre Royal, which- 
they had marked as an objective point. At last they 
came across a solitary policeman, who paused on his 
walk to observe their unsteady tramp. 

“Hotel Royal?” said Grossbeck, addressing the 
officer. 

“ Oui ,” replied the man, pointing in the direction 
from which they had come, and leading the way 
himself. 

In a few moments they reached the square they had 
missed, and Grossbeck recognized the flaming signs 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 215 

of a large clothing store, on the corner of the street in 
which the hotel was located. 

“ Thank you. I am very much obliged to you,” 
said he to the policeman, as he pointed to the street. 

“ Oui ,” replied the officer, solemnly, though the 
grateful acknowledgments of the juvenile tippler were 
lost upon him, except so far as he could interpret them 
by the motions of the speaker. 

“ I feel meaner than Napoleon did after the battle 
of Waterloo,” groaned Lynch. 

“ Stiffen up, now. Here’s the hotel,” added Gross- 
beck. 

“Well, what shall' we do? I can’t walk straight, 
and my head spins round like a top,” pleaded Lynch. 

“ Dry up. Starch your back-bone. Here comes a 
lot of the fellows.” 

“Who are they?” asked Lynch, trying to stiffen his 
back, and get the bearings of his head. 

The party approaching proved to be half a dozen 
of “ our fellows,” who stopped, and immediately dis- 
covered the condition of the two hopefuls. 

“I say, McKeon, can’t you help us out?” said 
Grossbeck. 

“ Ay, ay ; certainly we can,” replied “ our fellows,” 
in concert, as they gathered closely around the inebri- 
ates, and, thus encircling them, marched into the hotel. 

“ Keep still, Lynch ; don’t say a word,” whispered 
Grossbeck, as they entered the hall, effectually con- 
cealed from the observation of the officers by their 
companions. 

Mr. Fluxion stood at the door, and checked off the 
names of the party as they entered, on the list he held. 


21 6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


so as to be sure that all had come in. It was not an 
easy thing for Lynch to ascend three flights of stairs; 
but his companions supported him, and contrived to 
screen him from the officers, till they reached the 
room where they were to sleep. The door was 
closed and fastened, and Grossbeck gratefully ac- 
knowledged the kindness of his friends in getting 
them out of the scrape. 

“What did you drink?” asked McKeon. 

“ Wine,” answered the tippler. 

“What kind of wine?” 

“ I don’t know — eau de vie.” 

“ Eau de vie l” exclaimed Blount, whose knowl- 
edge of French was above the average of that of 
“ our fellows.” 

“ That’s what we called for,” added Grossbeck. 

“ And it was as strong as camphene,” said Lynch, 
as he tumbled into bed. 

“ It was brandy ! ” laughed Blount. 

The boys all laughed at the blunder, and Lynch 
repeated his pledge not to drink any strong liquors, 
wine, or beer again. Grossbeck defended his conduct 
by saying that he had heard a great deal about the 
light wines of Europe, which people drank like water, 
and he did not suppose a couple of thimblefuls of 
it would hurt them. 

“ Call for vin rouge next time,” laughed Blount ; 
“ that means red wine, or claret. It isn’t much 
stronger than water.” 

“No, sir!” ejaculated Lynch, springing up in bed, 
though with much difficulty ; “ I shall not call for red 
wine, or anything of the sort. From this time, hence* 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 21 7 


forth and forevermore, I’m a temperance man. I 
won’t drink anything but water, and only a little of 
that. I feel cheaper than Napoleon when he landed 
on the Island of St. Helena.” 

The party turned in, and in a short time all of them, 
tired out by the fatigues of the day, were fast asleep. 
Mr. Fluxion, before half past eleven, had reported all 
the students in the house. At six o’clock in the morn- 
ing all hands were turned out, and several squads of 
them were exploring the city on their own account. 
But it was not till after breakfast that a systematic 
excursion was organized. A number of omnibuses 
and one-horse barouches, or voitures , had been en- 
gaged by Mr. Fluxion, and, seated in these, the ship’s 
company proceeded to the Grande Place, which is a 
large square, with the Hotel de Ville on one side, 
and the old Palace, or Broodhuis, on the other 
side. 

The Hotel de Ville is one of the most splendid mu- 
nicipal palaces in the Low Countries, where these 
structures are always magnificent specimens of archi- 
tecture. The spire, of open work, in Gothic style, 
is three hundred and sixty-four feet high. The vane, 
which is a gilded copper figure of St. Michael, is sev- 
enteen feet high. The building was erected in the 
fifteenth century. 

By the attention of the governor of Antwerp, sev- 
eral officials were in readiness to escort the visitors 
through the city ; and at their beck the doors of public 
buildings and churches, and the gates of palaces and 
gardens, were thrown open. The party entered the 
Hotel de Ville, and in one of its large room§ an op- 
l 9 


2lS 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


portunity was afforded for Mr. Mapps to expatiate a 
little on the city of Brussels. 

“ Young gentlemen, what is the French name of 
this city?” asked the professor, as he took the stand 
occupied by the chief magistrate of the city. 

“ Bruxelles,” responded many of the boys; for they 
had seen it often enough upon signs and in newspa- 
pers to know it. 

“ Unlike many of the cities of Belgium which we 
have before visited, Brussels is a growing place. Its 
population has doubled in twenty years, and now num- 
bers about three hundred thousand. It is situated on 
both sides of the little River Senne, one hundred and 
fifty miles from Paris, — which it imitates and resem- 
bles in some degree, — and twenty-seven miles from 
Antwerp. It is built partly on a hill ; and the city 
consists of two portions, called the upper and the 
lower town, the latter being the older part, and con- 
taining all the objects of historic interest. In the 
upper town are the Park, the king’s palace, and the 
public offices. The streets are irregular, narrow, and 
crooked ; but the city is surrounded by a broad high- 
way, having different names in different parts, as the 
Boulevard de Waterloo , the Boulevard de Flandre , 
and the Boulevard d’ Anvers. 

“ The oldest part of the city is in the vicinity of 
this square — the Grande Place , in which the Counts 
Egmont and Horn were beheaded by the Duke of 
Alva. You saw their statues in the square. In this 
city, in an old palace burned in 1733, Charles V. abdi- 
cated in favor of his son Philip II. Here, also, was 
drawn up that celebrated document called the Request. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 2I(f 

It was a petition to Margaret of Parma, in favor of 
the Protestants of the Low Countries, of which you 
read in Motley. It was presented to her in the Hotel 
de Cuylembourg, where a prison now stands. She 
was somewhat alarmed at the appearance of the peti- 
tioners ; and one of her courtiers told her, in a whis- 
per, not to be annoyed by the ‘ gucuxj or beggars. 
The leader of the confederates, hearing of this, re- 
garded the epithet bestowed upon those who were 
defending the liberties of their country as an honorable 
appellation, and the petitioners adopted it as their war- 
cry.' In the evening, some of them appeared in front 
of the palace with beggars’ wallets on their backs, and 
porringers in their hands, and drank as a toast, ‘ Suc- 
cess to the Gueux! ’ This trivial incident proved to be 
one of the leading events of the revolution which de- 
prived Spain of the Low Countries ; for it kindled the 
enthusiasm of the people, and urged them on in the 
redemption of their country. In Motley you will find 
a full history of the ‘ Beggars.’ Alva was so incensed 
at the turn of this affair, that he levelled to the ground 
the building in which the confederates met. 

“ Brussels has long been celebrated for its manufac- 
tures of lace and carpets ; but while it still retains 
its prestige in the former, it has been outdone in the 
latter. The finest and most valuable lace is made 
here and in some of the neighboring cities, and is lit- 
erally worth its weight in gold. The most expensive 
kind costs two hundred francs (or forty dollars) a 
yard.” 

Mr. Mapps finished his. remarks for the present, and 
the ships’ company returned to the carriages, and were 


220 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


driven to the Place des Martyrs, where there is a large 
monument erected to the memory of three hundred 
Belgians, who fell in the Revolution of 1830, which 
made Belgium an independent kingdom. From this 
point they passed into the broad Boulevards to the 
Botanical Gardens, which, however, they did not 
enter, but continued up the hill to the Park, a large 
enclosure, beautifully laid out, and ornamented with 
statues. In one corner of it is the Theatre du Parc, 
while in the square which surrounds it are located the 
king’s palace, the palace of the Prince of Orange, the 
Chamber of Representatives, and other public build- 
ings. The students visited the king’s palace; — but 
his majesty usually resides at Laeken, and the estab- 
lishment represents royalty on a small scale — and the 
Chamber of Representatives, in which the tw r o branch- 
es of the Belgian legislature convene. In the latter, 
a woman showed them the Chambers, pointing out 
some fine pictures, including portraits of the king and 
queen, and the Battle of Waterloo, explaining every- 
thing in French. 

“ Where shall I find the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
Mr. Stoute?” asked Professor Hamblin, nervous and 
excited at the near prospect of standing face to face 
before the great man of Belgium, and of being com- 
plimented upon his great educational works. 

u I don’t know ; but his office must be somewhere 
in this vicinity,” replied the fat professor, laughing at 
the excitement of his associate. 

One of the officials in charge of the party volun- 
teered to conduct them to the apartment of the distin- 
guished revolutionist. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 221 


“ You must come with me, Mr. Stoute,” said the 
professor of Greek. “ If it turns out that Mr. Rogier 
don't speak English, I should be in an unfortunate 
dilemma.” 

“ I will go with you with pleasure,” laughed Mr. 
Stoute, who was rather desirous of witnessing the 
interview. 

They were conducted to the apartments of the dis- 
tinguished minister, and formally and ceremoniously 
ushered into his presence. He bowed, and regarded 
his visitors with cool indifference. 

“ Whom have I the honor to address?” asked the 
minister, in good English, when Mr. Hamblin had 
made his best bow. 

“ I am Professor Hamblin, from the United States, 
at your service,” replied the learned gentleman, who 
seemed to believe that this announcement would 
bring the Belgian statesman to his feet, if not to his 
arms — the professor’s. 

“Ah, indeed!” replied the minister, blankly. 

“ I had the pleasure of receiving a note from you 
at Antwerp,” added the American celebrity, annoyed 
at the coolness of the revolutionist. 

“A note from me!” exclaimed the Belgian celeb- 
rity, curtly. “ I never saw you or heard of you before 
in my life.” 

Mr. Hamblin produced the formidable envelope, 
and drew therefrom the epistle of sweet savor, which 
had been such a comfort to him in his troubles. He 
presented it to the minister, satisfied that this would 
recall the matter to his recollection. 

“ This note is not from me. I did not write it,” 
19 * 


222 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


said the Belgian, when he had glanced hastily at the 
page. 

“ Really, I beg your excellency’s pardon ; but it is 
signed with your name.” 

“ It is a forgery — what you Americans call a prac- 
tical joke, probably. I haven’t been in Antwerp for 
months.” 

There was an apparent convulsion in the fat frame 
of Mr. Stoute, who was evidently struggling to sup- 
press his mirth, or keep it within decent limits. 

“ I am very sorry, sir,” stammered Mr. Hamblin. 

“ The letter is an imposition, sir. I never heard of 
you before in my life,” added the great Belgian, toss- 
ing the note back to the professor, with an impatience 
which indicated that he never wished to see him 
again. 

That vision had exploded — no invitation to dinner, 
none to visit the king, none to accept the position of 
Librarian of the Greek portion of the Royal Library, 
whose only*duty was to consist in drawing his salary. 
Mr. Hamblin bowed, and so far conformed to his 
original programme as to back out of the office. 
Doubtless he came to the conclusion, in his disgust, 
that Belgium was a “one-horse” kingdom, and that 
royalty was a humbug. 

The vision exploded ; so did the mirth of Mr. 
Stoute, as soon as the door of the department of 
foreign affairs had closed behind him. He laughed 
till every ounce of his adipose frame quivered. 

“What are you laughing at, Mr. Stoute?” de- 
manded the disappointed suitor for Belgian honors. 

“ You will excuse me, sir ; but really I can’t help 
it,” choked the fat professor. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOI, LAND AND BELGIUM. 223 

“ I really don’t see anything to laugh at,” added 
Mr. Hamblin, indignantly. 

“ I was intensely amused at the shuffling indiffer- 
ence of Monsieur Rogier. He evidently regards him- 
self as a very great man, not to be disturbed by insig- 
nificant Greek scholars.” 

“ What do you mean by insignificant , Mr. Stoute? ” 
asked the lean professor, solemnly. 

“ Why, the minister had never even heard of you, 
of your Greek Grammar, Greek Reader, and Anabasis. 
Such is fame ! ” chuckled the good-natured instructor. 

“ ‘ What we Americans call a practical joke,’ were 
the words of the minister. Do you regard this as a 
joke, Mr. Stoute?” said the learned gentleman, very 
seriously. 

“ I suppose it is a joke to all, except the victim.” 

“ Do you know anything about the author of this 
senseless piece of imposition?” 

“ Certainly not. I had not the least idea that the 
ponderous document was not genuine till his excel- 
lency pronounced it a forgery.” 

“ Who could have done this? ” 

“ Some of the students, probably.” 

“ Probably,” replied the professor, taking the note 
from his pocket again, and carefully scanning the 
handwriting. “.I have no doubt it was done by one 
of the students. It is another of their infamous tricks 
— the fourth that has been put upon me. Do the 
other instructors suffer in this manner?” 

“ I have not heard of any other victims, and I am 
inclined to think you are the only one.” 

“ I do not see why I should be selected as the 


22 4 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


recipient of these silly and ridiculous, not to say 
wicked, tricks. A rope falls on 7ny head, / am 
pitched into the river, drenched with dirty water, and 
now sent on a fool’s errand to the king’s chief minis- 
ter ! I don’t understand why I am the only sufferer.” 

Professor Stoute did understand why Mr. Hamblin 
had been so frequently sacrificed, but he had a habit 
of minding his own business, and did not venture to 
give an opinion on the subject, which probably would 
not have been well received. What the fat professor 
knew all the boys in the Josephine, and most of those 
in the Young America, knew — that the cold, stiff, 
haughty, tyrannical, overbearing manner of the lean 
professor had made him exceedingly unpopular ; that 
the students disliked him even to the degree of hating 
him ; that if he had ever had any influence with them, 
he had lost it by his ridiculous sternness and stupid 
precision. Mr. Hamblin did not know this, but every- 
body else did. 

“Don’t you know this writing, Mr. Stoute?” de- 
manded the irate man of Greek roots, after an atten- 
tive study of the note. 

“ I do not.” 

“ I do ! ” added Mr. Hamblin, decidedly. 

“ You are fortunate then. If we can unearth the 
culprit, he will be severely punished.” 

“ I am not so clear on that point. This note was 
written by Captain Kendall.” 

“ Impossible ! ” exclaimed Mr. Stoute, seizing the 
note, and examining more attentively than he had 
done before the writing it contained. 

It did look like Paul’s writing. It was his style, 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 225 

and there were not more than two students in the Jo- 
sephine who could have composed the French in the 
document. Those two were Paul and Duncan. But 
Mr. Stoute was unwilling to believe that the captain 
would resort to such a proceeding. 

“ I shall charge him with it,” added Mr. Hamblin. 

“ I advise you not to do it without more evidence 
than you have yet obtained,” said Mr. Stoute, seri- 
ously. 

“ After we return to the vessel I shall probably be 
able to obtain some proof,” continued Mr. Hamblin, 
as he put the letter in his pocket. 

When they went to look for the rest of the party, 
they found them forming a line in the square. Pres- 
ent with Mr. Lowington was his excellency, the gov- 
ernor of Antwerp, who had just invited the company 
to visit the palace gardens. In even lines, with the 
officers in their proper places, the procession marched 
across the park and through the gates, at which a file 
of Belgian soldiers presented arms to them. In the 
garden they formed a line on one of the walks. Near 
the palace, walking to and fro, was an old gentleman, 
but still erect and manly, with a glittering decoration 
on his breast. Several other persons, most of them 
dressed in uniform, or decked with orders, were stand- 
ing near the old gentleman. 

Presently the governor of Antwerp approached the 
ship’s company, attended by an officer to whom Mr. 
Lowington was introduced. The three then walked 
towards the old gentleman, to whom the principal was 
presented. The venerable personage bowed gracefully,' 
but did not offer to shake hands, or indulge in any 
republican familiarities. 


226 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


11 That’s the King of Belgium,” said Dr. Winstock 
to Paul, as the principal and the venerable person ap- 
proached the line, followed by the officials. 

“The king!” exclaimed Paul, taken all aback by 
the announcement ; and this was the first time he had 
ever looked upon a live monarch. “ He seems just 
like any other man ; what shall we do?” 

“ Give him three Yankee cheers,” replied the doc- 
tor. 

Captain Kendall spoke to the flag-officer and to 
Captain Haven. 

“ Three cheers for his majesty the King of Belgi- 
um ! ” called Flag-officer Gordon. 

They were given with a will, but the tiger” was 
omitted in deference to royalty. King Leopold grace- 
fully and graciously acknowledged the salute by touch- 
ing his hat, and then walked up and down the line, 
inspecting the ship’s company. Mr. Lowington, hat 
in hand, walked just behind him. His majesty then 
took position in front of the line, and the students 
came to the conclusion that he was going to make a 
speech ; but he did not : he spoke to Mr. Lowington 
again, who went to the line and called out the flag- 
officer and the two captains. 

“You are to be presented to the king; don’t speak 
unless you are asked a question, and don’t turn your 
back to him,” said Mr. Lowington in a low tone. 

Paul was startled at the idea of being presented to 
King Leopold, but he followed his companions, and 
in due time was with them handed over to the gentle- 
man who had presented the principal, and who proved 
to be the grand chamberlain. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 22 *] 

“Captain Kendall, commander of the Josephine,” 
said the gentleman, when Paul’s turn came. 

Paul bowed, blushing up to the eyes, when he be- 
came conscious that the royal gaze was fixed upon 
him ; but he had self-possession enough not to overdo 
the matter, and his salute was as dignified and grace- 
ful as that of majesty itself. The king smiled when 
he saw the fine form and handsome face of the junior 
captain. 

“Do you command a ship?” asked his majesty, 
surveying the young officer from head to foot, with a 
pleasant smile on his face. 

“ I command the Josephine, your majesty ; she is 
not a ship, but a topsail schooner of one hundred and 
sixty tons,” replied Paul, satisfied that kings speak 
just like other men. 

“You are very young to command a vessel of that 
size,” added the king. 

Paul bowed, but made no reply, as no question was 
asked. 

“Can you manage her in a gale?” asked his ma- 
jesty. 

“ I think I can, your majesty ; at least I have done 
so within a week on the coast of your majesty’s do- 
minions.” 

The king actually laughed at this confident reply. 
As he bowed slightly, Paul, for the first time in his 
life, backed out, and continued to back till he reached 
his station at the head of the Josephines. The king 
then bowed to the whole line, and retired. As he 
did so, Flag-officer Gordon called for three more 


22 § 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


cheers. The king turned and bowed again. This 
time the snapper, in the form of the tiger, was ap- 
plied, which so astonished the royal personage that he 
turned once more, laughed, aud bowed. 

Professor Hamblin looked very nervous and discon- 
tented. “ That boy ” had been presented to the king, 
and he, who had compiled a Greek Grammar, a Greek 
Reader, and edited the Anabasis, had been “ left out in 
the cold.” If it was possible for a great mind like 
that of the savant to harbor such a vicious feeling as 
envy, he certainly envied Paul Kendall his brief inter- 
view with the King of the Belgians. 

The party retired from the garden, and returned to 
the carriages. It appeared in explanation of this un- 
expected honor, that the governor of Antwerp had 
waited on the king that day, and informed him casu- 
ally of the presence of the students of the academy 
squadron in the capital, and he had expressed a desire 
to see them in a very informal manner. Mr. Lowing- 
ton was no “ flunky,” and never sought admission to 
the presence of royalty, for himself or his pupils. 

As the procession of omnibuses and fiacres moved 
down to the lower town, they were thrown into great 
excitement by seeing many of the streets and houses 
dressed with flags and other devices. On inquiring 
at the hotel, Mr. Molenschot informed Paul that it 
was a saint’s day, and that a religious procession would 
march through some of the principal streets. 

“ Go down into the Boulevard d* Anvers, and you 
will have a good chance to see the show,” added the 
landlord. 


“ What is it?” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 229 

“ O, it is really very fine and very grand ; but go at 
once, or you will be too late.” 

The students were permitted to go to the street indi- 
cated, and they had hardly secured a good place before 
they heard martial music, playing a solemn dirge. 

20 


230 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


CHAPTER XIV. 


THE VICE-PRINCIPAL. 



CROWD of people preceded the procession, 


as it came out of the Rue de Laeken into the 


Boulevard d’ Anvers. At the head of it marched the 
military band, and the cortege was flanked by soldiers 
of the Belgian army, indicating that the government 
felt an interest in the display. The students were on 
the tiptoe of excitement at the novel spectacle ; and 
Paul asked his friend, the doctor, a great many ques- 
tions which he could not answer. The composition 
and order of the procession were very nearly as fol- 
lows : — 


A naan bearing a cross on a pole. 
Banner. 


Little girls dressed in ^hite, with flowers in their hands. 
Little boys. 

Banner. 

Image of the Virgin borne by four men. 

A lamb, very white and clean, led by a string, and 
decorated with red ribbons, with boys on each 
side, carrying various emblems. 

Young ladies in white. 

Another image of the Virgin. 



Religious Procession in Brussels. — Paare 2 to. 



























YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 23 1 

About twenty priests, in white muslin robes, and in 
satin robes trimmed with gold. 

Two boys with censers. 

Silken canopy, borne by four men, under which walked 
two ecclesiastics, in full costume one 
bearing the Host. 

The canopy was surrounded by men carrying 
lanterns with silver framework, and of peculiar con- 
struction. The censers, as they were swung backward 
and forward by the bearers, emitted a dense smoke, 
which rose far above the procession, and marked its 
progress. 

As the cortege approached the spot where the boys 
stood, the band ceased playing, and the priests began 
to chant the mass to the accompaniment of a single 
base horn. The procession moved very slowly, and 
the rich voices of the priests, mingling with the heavy 
notes of the horn, produced an effect solemn and im- 
pressive even on the minds of those whose religious 
education did not prepare them to appreciate such a 
display. 

As the host approached, hundreds of the crowd in 
the street knelt reverently upon the pavement, and 
bowed their heads before the sacred emblems. Wo- 
men and children strewed the path of the procession 
with flowers, green branches, or, in the absence of 
these, with handfuls of colored paper cut into minute 
pieces. Indeed, the street, in places, was literally 
covered with these votive offerings of the people, who 
had no other means of testifying their reverence for the 
ceremonia' 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


232 

The line filed into the Rue Longue Neuve, which 
was extensively decorated with flags, streamers, and 
other national and religious emblems. In many win- 
dows burned a line of candles, in some cases before a 
crucifix. In this street the procession halted, and 
several of the priests moved up an arch forming the 
entrance to one of the better residences. In this recess 
an altar had been erected, and was covered with all 
the emblems of the Catholic faith. The priests knelt 
before it, and chanted a portion of the service, and 
then returned to the procession, which continued its 
march up the street; the flowers and bits of colored 
paper filling the air before it, and the people still rev- 
erently bowing down to the host. The solemn and 
impressive chanting of the priests kindled the pious 
enthusiasm of the multitude, and as the line passed 
the cafes and estaminets , or smoking houses, the 
pipe, the drink, and the gay jest were abandoned, to 
pay homage to the faith of the nation. 

The faces of the little children and the white-robed 
maidens in the procession presented an aspect of re- 
ligious enthusiasm, solemn but not sad, which young 
people seldom wear. Everybody seemed to be car- 
ried away by the excitement of the scene ; all hats 
were removed, and the utmost respect was paid to the 
representatives and to the emblems of the church in 
the line. 

As Paul and his friend followed the spectacle up the 
street, they saw a Beguine nun kneeling at the altar in 
the arch, wringing her hands in an ecstasy of devotion, 
while several women were regarding her with an ad- 
miring reverence, which seemed to indicate that they 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 2 ^ 

envied her the enjoyment of the heavenly raptures 
which thrilled her. 

“ It is very solemn — isn’t it?” said Paul, when they 
had passed out of hearing of the procession. 

“ It is really moving, even while you have no sym- 
pathy with the church which makes these displays.” 

“ I think I was never more moved in my life than I 
was by the chanting of those priests. But what is the 
occasion of all this?” 

“ I don’t know ; except that this is some saint’s 
day — St. James, I believe ; but there is something of 
this kind in Brussels nearly every Sunday ; and I 
have seen several minor displays in the streets in the 
evening.” 

“ I am surprised to see how much respect the peo- 
ple pay to their religion. If they have these displays 
often, I should think they would become stale.” 

“ It appears they do not. I have a great deal more 
consideration and respect for these exhibitions in Bel- 
gium than in some other parts of Europe, for the 
reason that all religions enjoy the utmost toleration 
here. The people are almost exclusively Catholic, 
and yet they permit Protestants and Jews entire free- 
dom in the exercise of their religion, and pay them 
their fair share of the government money.” 

At two o’clock dinner was ready at the Hotel Royal ; 
and it need not be added that the boys also were ready. 
Half an hour later the whole party had been loaded 
into stage-coaches, which, in an hour and a half, set 
them down on the battle-field of Waterloo. For 
two hours they wandered about the field, or rather up 

and down the two principal roads which pass through 
■* 


20 


234 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


it. On the highest ground of the field, where there 
is a mound two hundred feet high, surmounted by the 
Belgic Lion, Mr. Mapps gave a brief account of the 
great battle, pointing out the spots of the greatest in- 
terest, including the road by which Blucher arrived. 
The subject is too vast for these pages ; but it will be 
alluded to in the summary of French history in a sub- 
sequent volume. 

There are several monuments, and columns, and obe- 
lisks on the battle-field, which mark the fall of distin- 
guished men or their burial-places. Beneath the great 
mound are buried thousands of all the armies repre- 
sented in this historical conflict, which settled, for a 
time, the fate of Europe. The field is the harvest- 
ground of a multitude of beggars, relic-hunters, and 
guides, who bore visitors almost to death with old 
buttons, musty fags, flattened bullets, bones, and other 
articles, which they produce as keepsakes of the battle. 
The stock of these things probably failed long ago, 
and the traveller may well be suspicious of the genu- 
ineness of anything which may be offered to him by 
these leeches. 

At six the stages conveyed the tourists to the Groen- 
endael Station, on the railway to Namur, where they 
arrived after a ride of an hour, express time. This 
place is the “ Belgian Sheffield,” being largely engaged 
in the manufacturing of arms, cutlery, and hardware. 
Its vicinity contains rich mines of iron, coal, and mar- 
ble. Many battles and sieges have occurred in this 
place ; and Don John of Austria, sent by Philip II. to 
subdue the country, was buried here. The city con- 
tains a population of twenty-six thousand, and is beau- 


YOUNG .AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 235 


tifully located at the junction of the Meuse and Sambre 
Rivers. The train stopped here but an hour ; and the 
students roamed through some of the principal streets, 
which, however, were too much like those of places 
they had visited before to excite any especial interest. 

Two hours later, they arrived at Liege, which was 
to be the eastern limit of the excursion. As before, 
Mr. Fluxion had preceded them, and engaged accom- 
modations at the hotels. The students were very 
tired, and not disposed to explore the city of the bish- 
ops that night. Before breakfast on the following 
morning, Mr. Mapps gave them the history and other 
interesting particulars relating to the city, when they 
had assembled in the old citadel of St. Walburg, which 
overlooks the town. 

“ Liege, whose Flemish name is Luik , contains one 
hundred and nine thousand inhabitants, who are prin- 
cipally concerned in the various manufactures of iron, 
and especially in the making of cannon and arms,” 
said the professor. “ I observed to you before, that this 
part of the country bears some resemblance to New 
England. As you have an opportunity to observe for 
yourselves, the scenery is very fine, but rather of the 
pleasant and quiet description. 

“ The province of Liege, of which this city is the 
capital, was formerly governed by a line of bishops ; and 
those of you who have read Scott’s Quentin Durward 
will remember William de la Marck, the Wild Boar 
of Ardennes, whose adventures are located in this vi- 
cinity. In the tenth century, the bishops of Liege were 
made sovereigns by the German emperor, and received 
the name of Prince-Bishops. But the burghers of 


236 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


Liege, like those of Ghent, had a will and a way 01 
their own, and frequently rebelled against the bishops, 
in support of their rights ; and Charles the Bold took 
the rulers under his protection. Still they persisted in 
revolting, and Charles destroyed the city, as a punish- 
ment, in 1468. Fifteen years later, William de la 
Marck murdered the prince-bishop, in order to obtain 
the mitre-crown for his son. This was the beginning 
of the insurrection, in which, as I have related to you 
before, Charles the Bold compelled the king of France 
to march against the rebels. 

u The place was subsequently captured by the 
French ; the bishops were expelled at the commence- 
ment of the French Revolution, but were restored 
by the Austrians two years later. In 1794 it was 
annexed to France; but after the battle of Waterloo 
it was incorporated into the new kingdom of the 
Netherlands. In 1830 the old spirit of the burghers 
of Liege revived, and they were among the foremost 
promoters of the Belgian Revolution.” 

The students descended from the heights, whose 
fortresses command the city, took an outside view of 
the Hotel de Ville, several churches, and other public 
buildings, and breakfasted at nine. Though they had 
by no means exhausted the city, the time would not 
permit a further examination. The train was ready 
for them ; and their next stop was at Louvain, which, 
like Ghent and Bruges, had dwindled down from a 
population of two hundred thousand to thirty-three 
thousand. It contains a magnificent town hall, deco- 
rated in the most elaborate style. 

From Louvain the party hurried on to Mechlin, or 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 237 

Malines, a picturesque old city, still famous for its fine 
lace. It is about the size of Louvain, and, like that,, 
presents a deserted appearance, being only the shadow 
of its former greatness. Its principal object of inter- 
est to the tourist is the Cathedral of St. Romuald, a 
structure of the fifteenth century, and, like the great 
churches at Cologne and Antwerp, still unfinished. 
It was built with money obtained by the sale of the 
pope’s indulgences, which, happily, “ gave out ” at last. 
Its spire, which was to have been six hundred and forty 
feet high, remains incomplete, at little more than half 
this height, which, however, is only eighteen feet less 
than the cross on St. Paul’s, in London. The church 
is an immense structure, said to cover nearly two 
acres of ground. It is the cathedral of the Belgian 
archbishop, or primate. 

“ There, Paul, we have finished Belgium,” said Dr. 
Winstock, as the train started for Antwerp. 

“ I am glad of it ; for I am tired of sight-seeing. It 
seems to me now that I have no desire to see another 
Cathedral, Hotel de Ville, or Grande Place,” replied 
Paul, languidly, as he settled himself back in his seat. 

“ A new country will wake you up,” laughed the 
doctor. “ I suppose we shall be in Rotterdam to- 
morrow.” 

“ I hope so, though I don’t know but I should like 
blue water better than being shut up in these rivers 
and canals.” 

“ You will get blue water enough before the season 
is ended.” 

In half an hour from Malines, the train reached Ant- 
werp. Mr. Fluxion had arrived before ; and there 


2 33 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


were two tugs at the Qiiai Vandyck, which had been 
employed to tow the vessels down the river. They 
conveyed the students on board, and the orders for 
sailing were giveh immediately. 

Mr. Hamblin, who had not yet recovered from his 
disappointment, hastened to the cabin. He com- 
menced a diligent search for papers written by the 
captain, in order to compare their penmanship with 
that of the forged note. As Mr. Stoute had been 
compelled to acknowledge, there was a general re- 
semblance between the handwriting of Paul and that 
of the unknown scribbler of the note. Though a 
minute comparison failed to establish any closer con- 
nection between them, the professor wanted to make 
out his point; and it was not difficult for him to find 
a particular similarity. 

Paul was busy on deck, getting the Josephine under 
weigh, and Mr. Hamblin had the cabin to himself for 
his investigation. The stamp on the paper of the 
fictitious note had already excited his attention, and 
he took the liberty to enter Paul’s state-room, in search 
of some like it. He opened the upper drawer of the 
bureau, which formed a writing-table when the front 
was dropped. The first object that attracted his atten- 
tion was a package of paper of the size, and appar- 
ently of the quality, he sought. He picked up a quire 
of it, and a smile of vindictive satisfaction played upon 
his wrinkled face, as he discovered upon it the identi- 
cal stamp of the forged note. 

His case was made out, and great was his joy. 
Paul would certainly be disgraced and removed for 
such an outrage as a practical joke upon one of the 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 239 

most dignified instructors in the squadron. We must 
do Mr. Hamblin the justice to say, that he did not 
wish to prove any more than he believed to he true ; 
but it is very easy for a prejudiced person to believe 
a great deal against one who has offended him. A 
student who was not fond of Greek could not be a 
very noble, or even a very upright one ; and he was 
confident that, when Paul’s true character became 
known, when he was no longer stimulated to great 
deeds by his high office, he would prove to be a very 
different person from what he now appeared to be. 

Mr. Hamblin confiscated a half quire of the paper, 
and secured several French exercises written by Cap- 
tain Kendall, to be used as evidence against him. He 
then searched the vessel for similar paper in the pos- 
session of other students, but found none. He went 
on deck, to ascertain what was to be done ; for Mr. 
Lowington had assured him he would not be any 
longer obliged to sail in the same vessel with the ob- 
noxious student. A boat from the ship was alongside, 
and Mr. Fluxion had just stepped on board. The 
boatswain was hoisting his baggage out of the boat, 
which indicated that he was to remain. 

Paul was reading an order just handed to him by 
Mr. Fluxion, which appeared to settle the difficulty 
between him and the learned professor. The order 
was in these words : — 

Mr. James E. Fluxion is hereby appointed vice- 
principal of the academy squadron, and will be 
obeyed and respected accordingly. 

Mr. Fluxion is also hereby instructed temporarily 


240 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


to discharge the duties of Professor of Greek, Latin, 
and Mathematics, on board of the Josephine. 

R. Lowington, Principal. 

The new vice-principal handed a note to Mr. Ham- 
blin as he came upon deck, in which he was directed 
to repair, with his baggage, on board of the ship. 
The learned gentleman was not quite satisfied with 
this arrangement. It looked a little ominous. 

“ Have you no order for Captain Kendall, Mr. 
Fluxion?” he asked, as the vice-principal waited for 
him to read his letter. 

“ I have given him an order from the principal.” 

u Is he not directed to go on board of the ship ? ” 

“ He is not.” 

“ I have preferred charges against him, and I was 
led to believe that he would be suspended,” added Mr. 
Hamblin, who was not quite sure that he was not to 
be suspended himself. 

“ No order to that effect was sent by me,” replied 
Mr. Fluxion. “ You will excuse me, but the vessel is 
about to get under weigh.” 

“ I am not satisfied with these proceedings. I com- 
plained to Mr. Lowington that it was impossible for 
me to instruct my classes while they were under the 
influence of Captain Kendall. No notice appears to 
have been taken of my charges.” 

“ I think some notice has been taken of them. You 
are directed to report to the principal, with your bag- 
gage, on board of the ship.” 

“ Am I to be punished instead of that obstinate and 
impudent pupil?” demanded the professor. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 24 1 

“ I have nothing to say about it, Mr. Hamblin,” 
added Mr. Fluxion, sharply. “ If you are not going 
to the ship, we will weigh anchor and proceed on our 
voyage.” 

The professor went down into his state-room, and 
hastily packed his trunk, which was brought up and 
put in the boat by one of the stewards. The students 
watched these movements with the deepest interest, 
and they could hardly conceal their satisfaction when 
it was clear that the obnoxious instructor was going 
to leave the Josephine, “bag and baggage.” There 
was a great deal of punching each other in the ribs, a 
great deal of half-suppressed chuckling, and a very 
decided inclination to give three cheers. A few of 
the more prudent ones checked any noisy demonstra- 
tion ; but the moment that Mr. Hamblin went over 
the side w T as a very joyous one. 

The Josephine tripped her anchor, and, hugged by 
the steam-tug, stood down the river on her way to 
Rotterdam. Mr. Fluxion went below, and installed 
himself in the state-room vacated by Professor Ham- 
blin. Mr. Stoute gave the vice-principal a hearty wel- 
come ; and it was soon evident that they were men 
who could cordially agree. Paul was delighted with 
the change ; for if there was any one in the squadron, 
besides the principal and the doctor, for whom he had 
a high regard and a thorough respect, it was Mr. Flux- 
ion. He was a sailor from the sole of his foot to the 
crown of his head. He had visited all the mai'itime 
ports of Europe, spoke half a dozen modern languages 
with facility, and was popular with the boys. He 
was a sharp disciplinarian, and the students found it 
21 


242 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


difficult to outwit him. He knew all the tricks of 
sailors, and especially of man-of-war’s men. He was 
the right hand man of Mr. Lowington, and the new’ 
arrangement, whereby the professor had been created 
vice-principal, and sent on board the consort, was to 
prevent the recurrence of such an incident as that 
which had imperilled her in the German Ocean dur- 
ing the squall. 

Though Paul felt that his own powers were in some 
degree abridged by the presence of the new officer, 
whose authority, unlike that of the instructors before, 
extended to the vessel, and was equal to that of Mr. 
Lowington, he was now satisfied. A competent per- 
son was present, with whom he could share the re- 
sponsibility of the navigation of the vessel in case of 
an emergency. He was on the best of terms with 
Mr. Fluxion, and he was happier than he had been 
before since the Josephine sailed from Hull. Leav- 
ing him to the enjoyment of the new order of things, 
we will follow Mr. Hamblin on board of the ship. 

The barge ran up alongside, and the professor’s 
trunk was hoisted on board. As soon as the students 
saw the barge and the baggage, which indicated that 
the obnoxious old gentleman had been transferred to 
the Young America, a murmur of disapprobation went 
through the ship. 

“ I say, Wilton, we are to have that old humbug in 
the ship!” exclaimed Perth, the chief of the Red 
Cross Knights, who, however, had changed their 
name to the Knights of the Golden Fleece. 

“ That’s so,” replied Wilton, who had contrived to 
keep out of the brig nearly a week. “ He has his 
plunder with him.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 343 

“We must do as the Josephines did,” added Perth, 
in a whisper. 

“ What’s that?” 

“ Get rid of him. This shall be the first job of the 
Knights of the Golden Fleece. McDougal, who is 
a capital fellow, told me all about how the fellows 
in the Josephine managed it.” 

“ I heard they had been hazing him.” 

“ That they did,” laughed Perth. “There is fun in 
the thing. If the old fossil was a decent fellow, of 
course we wouldn't disturb him. Just as soon as he 
made a row on board, all the fellows took the captain’s 
part. Morgan dropped him into the river, by draw- 
ing out the nail that held the boat-hook in the wood ; 
Blount dropped a coil of signal halyards on his head ; 
and McDougal ducked him with the hose-pipe ; and 
the old fellow got a bogus letter from Antwerp, in- 
viting him to visit some of those kings, or something 
of that sort.” 

“ Who sent the letter? ” asked Wilton, greatly inter- 
ested, as he always was, in anything of this kind. 

“Nobody knows ; at least McDougal says so. When 
we were at Brussels, the old Greek went to see some 
big fellow there, — the king or some minister, — and 
the big bug wouldn’t look at him. One of our fellows 
heard Stoute telling the doctor about it; and Fatty 
was so tickled that he shook just like a freshly-baked 
cup-custard. There goes the boatswain’s whistle. 
We are off now,” added Perth, as he sprang to his 
place at the capstan. 

The anchor had before been hove short, and in a 
few moments the Young America, also in the warm 


244 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


embrace of a powerful steam-tug, moved down the 
river. 

“ All hands in the rigging ! ” shouted the first lieu- 
tenant, as the ship approached the Victoria and Albert. 

The students ran up the shrouds like monkeys, and 
stationed themselves in the rigging. 

“ Three cheers for the Queen of England,” called 
Goodwin ; and they were given with becoming zeal. 

A lady dressed in black, who was walking the 
promenade deck, near the dining saloon, bowed 
and waved her handkerchief. That lady was Queen 
Victoria. The Josephine at this moment came up 
on the other side, and delivered her round of cheers. 
Mr. Fluxion carried the intelligence on board that 
the queen had returned, and that the yacht would 
sail that evening; and all hands were on the look- 
out for her majesty. She bowed and waved her 
handkerchief to the Josephines, as she had to the 
students in the ship. 

She was not very distinctly seen by the curious 
students in either vessel, and appeared like a stout 
“dumpy” little woman, in no respect different from 
any other lady. In spite of this fact, it was voted to 
be a big thing to have seen the Queen of England ; 
and the king of the little realm of Belgium sank into 
insignificance, compared with her. 

“ She don’t look like a queen,” said Captain Haven 
to Mr. Mapps, who stood next to him. 

“ Did you expect to see her with her crown and 
coronation robes on, and with the sceptre in her 
hand ? ” laughed the professor. 

“ Not exactly ; but I was not prepared to see a lady 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 245 


so much like any well-dressed woman we meet in the 
street.” 

“ Let me see,” said Mr. Mapps, glancing at the 
shore, intent upon renewing his favorite topic, “ Fort 
St. Laurent must have been here ; and this is where 
Van Speyk went down, or rather went up.” 

“Who was Van Speyk?” 

“ He was the commander of a Dutch gunboat, in 
the revolution of 1830. His vessel wouldn’t come 
about — what do you call it?” 

“ Missed stays, sir,” replied Captain Haven. 

“ Missed stays, and got aground right under the 
guns of the fort. He was ordered to surrender, but 
refused to do so, though there was not the least chance 
for him to make a successful resistance. He was de- 
termined that the rebels should not have his vessel, 
and, rushing down into the powder-magazine, he said 
his prayers, and coolly laid his lighted cigar on an 
open barrel of powder. An explosion followed which 
shook the whole city. Twenty-eight, out of thirty-one 
on board, including the heroic captain, were killed — 
blown up into the air. A monument to his memory 
was erected by the side of that of De Ruiter, and the 
government pledged itself that a vessel in the Dutch 
navy should always bear the name of Van Speyk.” 

“ He was a good fellow,” replied the captain, 
warmly. 

* 



21 


246 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


CHAPTER XV. 

THE PROFESSOR’S CHARGE. 

I SAY, Perth, I’ve been a good boy for more than 
a week, and I begin to be ashamed of myself for 
my want of activity,” said Wilton, who had seated 
himself on the bowsprit-cap, while his companion 
was reclining on the flying jib. “ I shall spoil if there 
is not something going on soon.” 

“We’ll go on that cruise in the Josephine just as 
soon as wfe can bring things round right,” added 
Perth. 

“ It’s no use to think of that while we are moored 
fifty- or a hundred miles from the sea,” continued 
Wilton. 

“ Of course not. Rotterdam is away up the river, 
with a bar at its mouth having only seven feet of 
water on it at low tide. You must go over that, or by 
the canal, which runs through an island. Do you 
know where we go next?” 

“ I heard some of the fellows say we were going to 
the southward soon.” 

“ If that’s so I should suppose we shall go into 
Dieppe or Havre,” said Perth. 

“ I heard Havre mentioned. How will that suit? ” 
“ First rate ! ” exclaimed the embryo captain of the 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 247 

proposed prize, for the Knights depended upon Perth 
for the navigation of the Josephine, when their long- 
cherished plan should be put in execution. 

“ I suppose we shall not stay in Holland more than 
a week.” 

“ No, I hope not. Lowington is afraid we shall all 
get sick if we stay here long.” 

“ Havre is just the place for us. It has an open 
harbor, and we can go to sea from there without any 
difficulty. Besides, there’s another thing that will 
favor 11s.” 

“What’s that?” asked Wilton. 

“All the fellows will go to Paris when the ship is 
there, and we can have a first-rate chance to operate 
while they are gone.” 

“ I don’t know about that. Our fellows will all 
want to go to Paris with the rest. I want to go there 
myself,” suggested Wilton. 

“ We may as well give it up, then,” added Perth. 

“ We must see Paris, anyhow.” 

“ I’ll tell you what we can do. We can run round 
through the Straits of Gibraltar, and up the Mediterra- 
nean to Marseilles. From there we can all go to 
Paris.” 

“ That will be a long cruise,” said Wilton. 

“ No matter for that. The longer the better.” 

“ How far is it?” 

“ Not less than two thousand miles. We could go 
in ten or fifteen days,” added Perth, warming up as 
he anticipated the pleasure of the runaway cruise. 

“ After we get into the Mediterranean, we can run 
along the coast of Suain, go into port as often as we 
like, and have a first-rate time generally.” 


248 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ But don’t you suppose Lowington will follow us?” 

“No matter if he does. We can beat the Young 
America on a wind from Monday morning till Satur- 
day night. If we find the ship is overhauling us, all 
we have to do is to hug the wind, and we can give her 
the slip.” 

“ We haven’t money enough to pay the expenses of 
such a trip,” said Wilton. 

“ There’s plenty of money in the Josephine. But 
we don’t need much. The vessel has a year’s pro- 
visions in her hold.” 

“ Salt junk and hard tack,” suggested Wilton, who 
was not partial to this diet. 

“ That will do very well while we are at sea ; and 
when w r e get to Spain we can buy things cheap. 
Besides, our fellows are going to raise some money 
on their own account,” said Perth, in a whisper. 

“How’s that?” asked the other, curiously. 

“ Every one of the Knights wrote home to have 
their folks send them some money at Paris, — or every 
one but you and Munroe ; and the game was played 
out with you and him, for you had some sent to you in 
London.” 

“ Yes ; and Lowington got it,” replied Wilton in 
disgust. 

“We fixed it all right. We shall find loose change 
enough on board of the Josephine to keep us happy 
till we get to Paris, by the way of Marseilles, and then 
we shall be rotten with stamps.” 

“ But don’t you expect to be caught some time or 
other? ” inquired Wilton, whose experience on a former 
occasion seemed to point in this direction. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 249 

“No matter if we are. We must be ready for that-, 
but we will be jolly while we have things our own 
way.” 

“ It’s no use to talk about it yet,” added Wilton, 
with a yawn, for the wild scheme seemed so far off to 
him that he could not enter into the spirit of it yet. 

“ It won’t be more than a week or ten days before 
we shall be ready to make a strike. You know we 
must all cut up so as to be left on board.” 

“ Yes, and some one will be left on board with us, 
just as it happened at Cowes.” 

“ It won’t be Fluxion, anyhow ; for he has been trans- 
ferred to the Josephine, and we can come it over any 
other of the professors. However, we must feel our 
way, and the first thing we have to do is to get left 
on board.” 

“ Humph ! That’s easy enough,” said Wilton, who 
had never found any difficulty in being left behind, or 
in being condemned to the brig. 

“ We must make a sure thing of it next time ; but it 
won’t do to run away with a boat again. Hush up ! 
There comes that old stick-in-the-mud from the Jose- 
phine,” added Perth, lowering his voice to a whisper. 

The gentleman thus discourteously alluded to was Mr. 
Hamblin, who had climbed upon the topgallant fore- 
castle for the purpose of obtaining a view of the region 
through which the vessel was passing. As the two boys 
were far out on the bowsprit, over the water, he did not 
venture to approach any nearer to them ; yet the exces- 
sive prudence which the Knights practised required 
them to keep silence whenever there was a possibility 
that a word might be overheard by the uninitiated. 


2 5 ° 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ I wish he would come up here,” whispered Wil- 
ton, from the corner of his mouth. 

“Why?” 

“ I would contrive some way to spill him into the 
drink,” chuckled the ever-willing conspirator. 

Mr. Hamblin was then cool and self-possessed, and 
he did not venture out upon the treacherous spar, and 
the entangling rigging, so that the wretch on the cap 
had no opportunity to give him a second bath in the 
dirty Scheldt. The learned gentleman was looking 
for the site of the Duke of Parma’s Bridge, but he 
couldn’t find it, and presently retired. He was not 
much interested in the Spanish operations in Flan- 
ders, though he felt it his duty to see a spot so noted 
in history — it was so effective, before a class of stu- 
dents, to be able to say he had seen the place alluded 
to in the text-book. He was, in fact, more concerned 
to know what Mr. Lowington’s decision was, and he 
was waiting impatiently for an interview with him. 

“ The old hunks is too mean for the Josephines, and 
he has been quartered upon us ! ” exclaimed Wilton, 
as the professor descended to the main deck. “ The 
fellows in the consort say he is as grouty as a mud 
turtle, and as crabbed as an owl at noonday. He 
snubs every one that makes a blunder, and rips at the 
class half the time.” 

“ They say Lowington don’t like him much better 
than the fellows do,” added Perth. 

It would be difficult to explain how any of the stu- 
dents had reached this conclusion ; but it is certain 
that boys understand their guardians and instructors 
much better than the latter generally suppose. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 25 1 

9 

“ Perth, I think we might as well have our liberty 
stopped for serving out Old Crabs, as for anything 
else,” suggested Wilton. 

“ I’m willing ; the Knights will do that job hand- 
somely, you may bet your life.” 

“ But we musn’t get caught too soon.” 

“ We work in the dark, and we can do the thing 
as well as the Josephines did.” 

“ Let’s study up something at once, and put him 
through a course of sprouts. I don’t believe in toler- 
ating a professor who was too mean for the Josephine,” 
replied Wilton, shaking his head, as though a per- 
sonal indignity had been put upon him. 

“ All right ; we will be ready as soon as he is. 
What’s the row on deck?” continued Perth, rising 
from his seat, as a group of students gathered in the 
rigging, and on such elevations as would enable them 
to see over the bulwarks. 

“ Only one of Mapps’s long yarns,” answered 
Wilton. 

“ I’m going down to see what it is.” 

Perth went down, but Wilton had not the slightest 
interest in anything Mr. Mapps had to say ; and he 
stretched himself on the jib, which had been cast loose 
ready to hoist, in case it should be required. 

“ This is the place where the Duke of Parma built 
his great bridge over the Scheldt,” said the professor 
of history, as the students gathered around him. 

“ What did he build the bridge for?” asked one of 
them. 

“ In order to close the navigation of the river, and 
thus prevent the people of Antwerp from obtaining 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


25 Z 

provisions, which came to them from Holland. When 
the Prince of Orange was assassinated, the Duke of 
Parma was making his preparations to subdue the 
country. By the death of the prince Holland was 
left without an effective leader, while in the duke 
Spain had one of the most accomplished and ener- 
getic generals of his age. Parma saw that Antwerp 
was the key to the situation, and he directed his whole 
attention to its capture. 

“ Before this time the Prince of Orange had real- 
ized that the loss of Antwerp would be the loss of 
the whole of the region which is now called Belgium ; 
and when it was clear in what direction his skilful 
antagonist proposed to operate, he had advised the 
cutting of the dike on your right, which would lay 
the country under water, and open a channel of com- 
munication with Holland and Zealand by water. 
Unfortunately, his advice was disregarded till the 
duke had secured the dikes — a neglect which caused 
the loss of Antwerp, and with it the whole of Flan- 
ders. 

“ Though Parma had erected forts all along the 
banks of the river, the hardy Dutchmen ran the 
gantlet of them, and Antwerp was well supplied 
with food, the price being four times as much as in 
Plolland. The people of the city, and even their 
leaders, ridiculed the idea of constructing the bridge, 
and took no steps to prevent it. The death of 
Orange caused a panic throughout the Netherlands, 
of which the shrewd Parma took advantage, and 
urged on his preparations. Though crippled in a 
measure by the neglect of his sovereign to supply him 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 253 

with men and money, the bridge was completed in 
the face of tremendous obstacles. It was twenty-four 
hundred feet long, and composed of thirty-two boats, 
or vessels, bound together by hawsers, cables, and 
beams. On each side was a wall of timbers, and on 
the structure guns were planted for its defence. A 
fort was erected at each end, heavily armed and 
manned. 

“ When the bridge was finished, the Antwerpers, 
who had laughed to scorn the idea of such a struc- 
ture, found that their supplies were cut off. They 
made two attempts to break through the bridge, but 
failed in both, though in one of them they made a 
breach by exploding a fire-ship, and destroyed nearly 
a thousand Spanish soldiers, and Parma himself was 
knocked senseless. The attempt was not followed up 
with sufficient energy, and the Spaniard had time to 
repair the work. Antwerp, deprived of provisions 
by the skill and determination of the duke, was starved 
out and compelled to surrender. The country contin- 
ued under the Spanish yoke, while the United Prov- 
inces maintained their independence.” 

The attentive audience which had gathered around 
the professor separated when he had finished the story. 
Some of them went aloft, to look over the dikes, and 
with their eyes followed the long lines of ditches and 
canals which extended into the interior. 

In the mean time, Mr. Hamblin walked the deck 
very uneasily, waiting for an opportunity to discuss 
his position with the principal. The studies of the 
classes were to be resumed on the following day, and 
he was anxious to know what disposition was to be 
22 


254 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


made of him. The ship was already provided with 
an excellent instructor in Greek and Latin ; and only 
in the department of mathematics was there a vacancy, 
made by the transfer of Mr. Fluxion. It would be 
impossible for Mr. Hamblin to teach anything but 
Greek and Latin, though he had had some experience 
in the other branches. 

Mr. Lowington seemed to be provokingly indifferent 
on the subject, and the professor was at last compelled 
to ask an interview, which, however, his dignity com- 
pelled him to defer till the ship was approaching 
Flushing, when the steamer was to leave her. The 
principal understood the character of the learned gen- 
tleman very well, and knew that any manifestation of 
anxiety on his own part would so inflate the vanity of 
the professor that he could do nothing with him ; but 
he granted the interview when it was demanded. 

“ Mr. Lowington, I am rather desirous of knowing 
what is to be done,” said the savant , when they were 
alone in the main cabin. “ I find that Mr. Fluxion has 
been transferred to the place I filled on the Josephine. 
As you are aware, I was employed to teach Latin and 
Greek.” 

“ I am aware of it,” replied the principal, still ap- 
pearing to be singularly indifferent in such a momen- 
tous crisis, as it seemed to Mr. Hamblin. 

“ I presume Mr. Fluxion is competent to teach the 
classics.” 

“ Entirely competent. He was assigned, in the be- 
ginning, to the department of navigation, on account 
of his knowledge of practical seamanship. I don’t 
know that he has any superior as a teacher of the 
classics.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 25^ 

Mr. Hamblin did not like this answer. The prin- 
cipal had no business to think that any one was his 
equal in the department of Greek and Latin, especially 
the former. Mr. Fluxion had never written a Greek 
Grammar, compiled a Greek Reader, and edited the 
Anabasis. The remark of the principal was very in- 
judicious. 

“ Having been displaced from my position in the 
consort, I am rather desirous of knowing what is to 
be done with me,” added the professor, choking down 
his disgust. 

“ I hope we shall be able to make an arrangement 
that will be satisfactory to you, at least for the present,” 
replied the principal. “ I have had some consultation 
with the instructors ; and Mr. Paradyme has obligingly 
consented to take the department of mathematics in 
the ship for a time, and the Greek and Latin will be 
assigned to you.” 

“ This arrangement is entirely satisfactory to me, 
Mr. Lowington,” answered the professor, who was 
really delighted to obtain what was regarded as the 
senior professorship in the squadron ; and it seemed 
quite fitting that the place should be given to him. 

“ This is only a temporary arrangement,” added the 
principal, desirous to prevent any misunderstanding in 
the future. 

This was not entirely satisfactory to Mr. Hamblin, 
who thought a thing so fitly done ought to be perma- 
nent. 

• “ It is not pleasant for me to feel unsettled, and to 
be liable to a change at any time,” said the professor. 
“ I think I should prefer my place in the Josephine.” 


256 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Since you and the captain of the Josephine cannot 
agree, it does not appear to be practicable for you to 
remain there.” 

“ Do you expect me to submit when insulted by a 
pupil, Mr. Lowington?” asked Mr. Hamblin, solemn- 
ly. “ Will you allow a student to insult me?” 

“ I will neither allow a student to insult you, nor 
you to insult a student,” replied the principal, with the 
most refreshing frankness. 

“ You will not allow me to insult a pupil ! ” ex- 
claimed Mr. Hamblin. 

“ Certainly not.” 

“ Do you think me capable of doing such a thing?” 

“ I am sorry to say you have proved that you are. 
You called one of them a puppy.” 

“ But not until — ” 

“ Excuse me, Mr. Hamblin. I do not purpose to 
discuss this matter again.” 

“ May I ask if you sustain Mr. Kendall in his con- 
duct towards me ? ” 

“I do — fully ” 

“ I am astonished, sir ! ” 

“ So am I — astonished that a gentleman of your 
learning and ability should so demean himself as to 
apply offensive epithets to his pupils. In the first 
place, you had no right to interfere with the discipline 
of the vessel ; and when Captain Kendall told you 
that he commanded the Josephine, he said no more 
than the truth, and no more than the circumstances 
required him to say. In the second place, after you 
called him a puppy, and repeated the epithet, on the 
quarter-deck, I could not have blamed him if he had 


JTOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 257 

t ut you in irons. I approve his conduct fully. As 
)ou insulted him before his officers and crew, it was 
necessary that he should vindicate himself before 
Ihem.” 

“ I am afraid this vessel is no place for me,” said 
the professor, with extreme disgust. 

“ I am afraid not, if you cannot observe the rules 
of the ship.” 

“ I think I have observed the rules, sir. Mr. Ken- 
dall used every means in his power to annoy me ; and 
still you sustain him in it. He knows that you are 
partial to him.” 

“ I am not aware that Captain Kendall used any 
means to annoy you.” 

“ I think you do not know that boy as well as I do. 
A rope was thrown down upon my head : the offence 
was suffered to pass unnoticed by Mr. Kendall. I 
was wilfully or carelessly thrown into the river ; the 
captain did not consult me, but made his inquiries in 
private, and of course the culprits escaped.” 

“ You were thrown into the river by your own care- 
lessness, Mr. Hamblin. I saw the whole of it.” 

“ So Mr. Kendall told me, in the most offensive 
tones. I do not complain of these things ; I only 
mention them for the sequel. A boy drenched me 
with water ; he begged my pardon on his knees, and 
I forgave him ; but this offence the captain punishes 
in the most severe manner. Why? Apparently be- 
cause I — the only sufferer — had forgiven the of- 
fender.” 

“ It was necessary for the captain to put a stop to 
such pranks.” 

* 


22 


2 5 8 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ But he did not use good judgment. McDougal 
explained the matter, and was exceedingly sorry.” 

“ But he drenched you on purpose.” 

“ Impossible, sir ! ” 

Tlie principal called one of the stewards, and sent 
for McDougal* who presently appeared. He had 
already confessed that the drenching was not an acci- 
dent, and he repeated his statement, to the utter aston- 
ishment of the discomfited pedagogue. During the 
excursion on shore, some of the Josephines had told 
him that the trouble between Paul and the professor 
had been on his account ; and he had made the con- 
fession in order to justify the captain, at whatever cost 
to himself. The spirited conduct of the young com- 
mander had filled the boys with admiration, and they 
were determined that he should not suffer, whoever 
else did. 

“ You did it on purpose — did you ? ” repeated the 
savant. “ May I ask why you did it? ” 

“ The fellows didn’t like you, and were bound to 
get you out of the Josephine,” replied McDougal, 
candidly. 

“ The fellows ! ” exclaimed Mr. Hamblin. “ Were 
there others concerned in this iniquitous transaction ? ” 

“ More than a dozen of them.” 

“ Did you write the letter to me which purported to 
come from the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs?” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ Who did? ” 

“ I don’t know, sir.” 

“ You don’t know ! Don’t lie to me,” said the pro- 
fessor, sternly. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 259 

“ I do not.” 

“ I know,” added the learned gentleman, turning to 
the principal. 

“ McDougal, you say that a dozen boys were con- 
cerned in your proceedings. Who were they? ” 

“ I would rather not tell, sir. I am willing to own 
up to all I did myself.” 

“You hear that, Mr. Lowington?” exclaimed the 
professor, with horror. 

“Of course I hear it, Mr. Hamblin,” replied the 
principal, impatiently. “ You may leave, McDougal.’ - 

“ Leave, sir 1 ” ejaculated Mr. Hamblin. 

“ Go, McDougal ; ” and he went. “ You said you 
knew who wrote the fictitious letter, sir.” 

“ I do.” 

“ Who was it? ” 

“ Mr. Lowington, if that boy you sent away had 
told the whole truth, he would have confessed that 
Mr. Kendall was at the bottom of all these infamous 
proceedings.” 

“ Captain Kendall ! ” 

“ Yes, sir ; especially the plan to throw me into the 
water. When I demanded a boat, I mentioned the 
gig. It was refused. Why? Because the crew of 
the first cutter had been instructed to tip me over- 
board ! It is very strange that no one but myself has 
been able to understand the vicious intentions of the 
boys.” 

“ The gig is the captain’s boat. The regulations 
require the captain to give the professors the first cut- 
ter,” explained Mr. Lowington. 

“ I was not aware of it at the time ; but I am satis- 


260 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


(ied that the crew of the first cutter had been instructed 
to pitch me into the river.” 

“ If they were, you were very obliging to assist 
them as you did,” added the principal. “ But go on. 
Do you suppose Captain Kendall instructed McDougal 
to drench you with water?” 

“ Very likely.” 

“ And then inflicted the severest punishment- upon 
him for doing it? It is absurd! That was the third 
and last offence. The captain put an end to these 
tricks by his well-timed energy, and I am sure he had 
no part or lot in them. Do you think he got some one 
to write the letter to you ? ” 

“ No, sir ; I think he did it himself,” replied the 
professor, more calmly, as he came to what he con- 
sidered his stronghold. 

“ I am not willing to believe it.” 

“ I am prepared to prove it, sir.” 

“ If Kendall has been guilty of such conduct, — if it 
can be shown that he wrote the letter, or that he knew 
of its being written, — I will not only suspend him, but 
I will reduce him to a common sailor, and confine 
him in the brig,” said the principal, with no little 
agitation. 

This strong speech looked like the dawn of reason 
to Mr. Hamblin, and he hastened to produce his evi- 
dence. The letter and several exercises written by 
Paul were first placed on the cabin table, to enable 
Mr. Lowington to compare the penmanship. 

“ There is a strong similarity in them, I grant; but 
they are all written in the common school-boy hand 
of the United States,” added the principal. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 261 


“ There is a stronger resemblance than that. The 
capital A’s are the same ; the small r’s 'are identical.” 

“ But the small a’s are different.” 

“ Doubtless he disguised his hand to some extent.” 

“ Is this all the proof you have?” asked Mr. Low- 
ington, somewhat relieved. 

“ No, sir,” replied the professor, triumphantly, as 
he exhibited the paper he had taken from Paul’s sta;3-- 
room, which was different from any he had been able 
to find in either vessel. “ The paper is identical, you 
perceive.” 

“I see that it is.” 

“ And no other student has such paper.” 

“ The ship has provided paper for the students, but 
none like this,” said Mr. Lowington, with a sigh. 

“ I think you will consider the case proved,” added 
Mr. Hamblin, exultingly. 

“ By no means. Enough has been shown to war- 
rant an inquiry. I will make an investigation imme- 
diately.” 

This was all Mr. Hamblin could ask ; and, confi- 
dent that Captain Kendall would be convicted, he left 
the cabin, as the captain of the Belgian steamer came 
in to settle for the towage. 


262 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


CHAPTER XVI. 
captain kendall’s defence. 

HE squadron remained off Flushing long enough 



for Mr. Fluxion to visit the shore, and ascer- 


tain the condition of the “ Wei tevreeden.” The 
repairs were going on, but were not completed, and the 
cost of them could not yet be determined. The vice- 
principal, however, obtained such information in re- 
gard to the probable expense, as to enable him to 
make a final settlement. Captain Schimmelpennink 
came off to the Josephine with him on his return. It 
was certain that eleven hundred guilders would cover 
the whole expense of pvitting the galiot in perfect 
repair, and the balance of this sum was handed to the 
skipper. 

If there ever was a grateful man in the world, that 
man was the captain of the “Wei tevreeden.” In 
addition to the energetic speeches he made through 
the interpreter, he indulged in some very pretty and 
significant gesticulations, which the officers and crew 
could comprehend. The students were happy in the 
good deed they had done — quite as happy as the 
the skipper himself. In addition to the sum expended, 
there was five hundred and fifty-four guilders in the 
hands of the treasurer, which was to be used for some 
similar object when presented to them. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 263 


While Mr. Fluxion was absent at Flushing, Mr. 
Lowington had gone on board of the Josephine, and, 
taking Paul into his state-room, had exhibited the 
fictitious note to him, stating the charge made against 
him by Mr. Hamblin. 

“ I need not say, Captain Kendall, that this is a very 
serious charge,” added the principal, solemnly. 

“ I think it is, sir,” replied Paul, blushing deeply. 
“ If you think I wrote that letter, sir, I hope you will 
do your duty.” 

“ I certainly shall, though it break my heart.” 

“ Whatever you do, sir, it will not alter my regard 
for you.” 

“ I am already accused of partiality towards you, 
Captain Kendall,” added Mr. Lowington. “ I confess 
that I never had a pupil for whom I cherished so high 
an esteem and so warm a regard.” 

“Thank you, sir. You are now, as you always 
have been, very kind to me,” replied Paul, hardly able 
to restrain the tears in which his emotions demanded 
expression. 

“ I must say that I deem this charge groundless and 
absurd ; but I cannot explain it away. The writing 
in the note resembles yours in some respects ; and the 
fact that the kind of paper on which the note is 
written is found in your possession alone has not 
been explained. Do you know anything about this 
note ? ” 

“ Nothing, sir ; only that it came in the mail with 
the rest of the Josephine’s letters.” 

“ When did you get the paper which Mr. Hamblin 
found in your writing des\?” 


264 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ I bought it in Antwerp on Tuesday afternoon, 
when we went on shore,” replied Paul, promptly. 

“ I shall be obliged to inquire further into this mat- 
ter. You will have all hands called.” 

They left the state-room together, and the first lieu- 
tenant ordered the ship’s company to be piped to 
Quarters. Without any definite explanation, the prin 
cipal directed all the students to bring their stock of 
stationery on deck, and they passed in review before 
him, exhibiting the quality of their paper. At the 
same time Mr. Stoute searched the steerage for any 
which might have been concealed. If any student had 
purchased paper in Antwerp, it was not of the kind 
on which the forged letter had been written. 

“ Young gentlemen,” said Mr. Lowington, mount 
ing his rostrum, “ a practical joke is the stupidest 
thing in the world, when perpetrated at the expense 
of the feelings of others. Some one has put such 
a joke upon Mr. Hamblin, the very last person in the 
world to appreciate this species of humor. One of 
your number is charged with the act.” 

“ The old lunatic has laid it to the captain,” whis- 
pered Terrill, who thus interpreted the mysterious 
proceedings of the principal and Paul. 

“ The particular kind of paper on which the letter 
to Mr. Hamblin was written is found only in the pos- 
session of that one student,” continued the principal, 
with an emotion he could not wholly conceal. I 
desire, if any of you have any information in regard 
to the note, that you will communicate it at once.” 

Mr. Lowington paused, and the boys looked blankly 
at each other. Even to them, at that moment, a prac- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 265 

tical joke seemed to be the stupidest thing in the world. 
There was a tremendous sensation among them ; but 
no one volunteered to give the desired information. 

“Young gentlemen, although the evidence in my 
possession is not sufficient to condemn the student 
charged with the offence, it is enough to justify grave 
suspicions, and I shall be under the painful necessity 
of suspending him, and sending him on board of the 
ship for further examination.” 

Paul was not half so much disturbed by this an- 
nouncement as he had been by the trying scene with Mr. 
Hamblin, a few days before. It is the guilt, and not 
the loss of honor, the disgrace, which is hard to bear 
when one is charged with misconduct or crime. He 
stood with folded arms, c ubmissive to the authority of 
the principal, and satisfied that the truth would prevail 
in the end. 

“Who is he?” asked one of the students in a sup- 
pressed tone, when the silence became painful. 

“ Captain Kendall,” replied the principal ; and this 
name produced a tremendous thrill in the hearts of 
the ship’s company. 

“ No, sir ! No, sir ! ” shouted some of the students. 

“ Silence, young gentlemen ! I know how you 
feel,” interposed Mr. Lowington. “ Although it 
would seem to me impossible that Captain Kendall 
should have written this letter, Mr. Hamblin distinctly 
charges him with the act, and I am sony to add that 
there is some evidence to prove the charge.” 

Mr. Lowington was more grieved than any other 
person on board, and it is more than probable that, in 
ftis great anxiety to avoid partiality, he ran into the 
2 3 


z66 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


opposite extreme, and exposed himself to the peril 
of doing injustice to his young friend. 

“ Captain Kendall, you will consider yourself under 
arrest, and report on board of the ship,” added the 
principal, turning to Paul. 

The young commander bowed submissively, and the 
boys wondered how he was able to take the matter so 
coolly. 

“ It’s a shame ! ” exclaimed Terrill, in a low tone, 
to Pelham. 

“ Mr. Terrill,” continued Mr. Lowington, “ the 
command of the Josephine devolves upon you until 
further orders, and you will go to sea as soon as Mr. 
Fluxion returns.” 

The first lieutenant started when his name was 
called, and suspected that he was to be taken to task 
for the remark he had just made. It was fortunate for 
him, perhaps, that the principal did not hear his ener- 
getic words, or the command might have been given 
to the second lieutenant, for Terrill’S impulsive nature 
would have led him into some intemperate speech, so 
deeply did he feel for the captain. 

“ I hope my command will be of very short dura- 
tion, sir,” said he, as the principal stepped down from 
the hatch. 

“ I hope so, Mr. Terrill,” answered Mr. Lowington. 
“ Captain Kendall, you will repair to the ship in the 
barge.” 

“ I will be ready in a moment, sir,” replied Paul, 
as he went below to obtain a few needed articles. 

“ Captain Kendall, lam downright sorry for this,” 
said Terrill, following him into his state-room. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 2 67 

“ Don’t be at all disturbed about it,” answered Paul, 
cheerfully. “ I am glad Mr. Lowington has taken 
this course. I expect to be able to prove that I could 
not have written the letter and I shall be, restored as 
soon as we reach Rotterdam. It is a good deal better 
to be proved innocent than to be suspected of being 
guilty. Here is the key of the safe,” he added, as he 
took it from his pocket and handed it to his suc- 
cessor. 

“It’s lucky for old Hamblin he isn't on board of 
the Josephine,” said Terrill, with an ominous shake 
of the head. “ I think the fellows would throw him 
overboard before the vessel gets to Rotterdam if he 
were.” 

“ That isn’t the right spirit, Terrill ; and as a par- 
ticular favor to me, I ask that you will not say a word 
about Mr. Hamblin. I have my own opinion in 
regard to him ; and I suppose every fellow has ; but 
the least said is the soonest mended. I hope you will 
not let the officers and crew indulge in any demonstra- 
tions of disapproval.” 

“ Not let them ! I can’t help it. I believe if old 
Hamblin was on board, I would join with the rest of 
the fellows in making a spread eagle of him on the 
fore shrouds,” answered the commander pro tern. 

“Don’t think of such a thing. Two wrongs won’t 
make a right,” said Paul, anxiously. “ You and I have 
been first-rate friends, Terrill, and for my sake do not 
encourage or tolerate any demonstrations.” 

“ I will do the best I can, but I feel just like making 
the biggest row I was ever in since I was born.” 

“ Keep cool ; you are going to sea right off, and 


2 68 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


you will have enough to do to look out for the ves- 
sel.” 

“ I shall do as you tell me, if I can ; but only be- 
cause you wish it. I think the fellows ought to give 
a few hearty groans, so as to be sure no one mistakes 
their sentiments.” 

“ Don’t do it, Terrill,” said Paul, as he led the way 
to the deck, with his bundle in his hand. 

When they went on deck, Mr. Fluxion had just 
returned in the first cutter ; and great was his astonish- 
ment, and that of the boat’s crew, when informed of the 

% 

exciting event which had just transpired. The inter- 
view with the Dutch skipper changed the current of 
thought on board for the moment ; but as soon as he 
departed, nothing was talked of but the arrest of the 
captain. 

Paul stepped into the barge with the principal, who 
was very sad and silent. As soon as they were on 
board of the Young America, and the barge hoisted 
up, orders were given to fill away again. 

“What does that mean?” asked Perth, when the 
barge was hoisted up, as he ran up to Wilton. 
“What?” 

“ Why, there is Captain Kendall on the quarter-deck 
of the ship, and the Josephine is getting under way 
without him.” 

“ There’s been a row somewhere ; Kendall is one o* 
the flunkies, but he’s a good fellow for all that,” adde& 
Wiltr n, who could not help giving Paul this tribute. 

“ I'll tell you what it is,” said Howe, — who was one 
of the barge’s crew, and had heard all the proceedings 
on Doard of the Josephine, — as he joined them, “ Ken- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 269 

dall has been suspended, broken, turned out of office 
for writing that letter to old Hamblin.” 

“ Is that so?” demanded Perth. 

“ That’s so ; but all the fellows in the Josephine say 
he didn’t do it.” 

“ It would be a new idea for Kendall to do anything 
wrong — even to sneeze in prayer time.” 

The order to man the braces interrupted the con- 
versation ; but the news went through the ship even 
before she had begun to gather headway. The matter 
was thoroughly discussed, and it was perfectly under- 
stood that Mr. Hamblin had perferred the charge 
upon which Paul had been broken or suspended. 
The commander of the Josephine was almost as 
popular in the ship as he was in the consort ; and the 
indignation against the professor of Greejc was hardly 
less violent in the one than in the other. 

“ Captain Kendall, you will occupy the spare state- 
room in the after cabin, next to Flag-officer Gordon’s,” 
said Mr. Lowington to Paul, as they met after the ship 
was underway. 

“ Thank you, sir,” replied the young commander, 
who had seated himself near the companion-way. 

“ As soon as supper is disposed of, I propose to ex- 
amine into the charge. You shall have a fair trial.” 

“ I have no doubt of that.” 

Mr. Lowington walked away, and Paul, who was 
much embarrassed by the continued expressions of 
sympathy extended to him by the officers of the ship, 
retired to his state-room to consider his line of defence. 

Mr. Hamblin, satisfied before, was delighted now. 
justice seemed to be extending her tardy hand in his 

23* 


270 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


favor. The rebel against his mighty will had been 
suspended, and was actually under arrest. Of course 
the principal had acknowledged the validity of the 
evidence he had presented. The motive for such an 
annoying practical joke was patent to all in the squad- 
ron, while the quality of the paper and the resem- 
blance of the writing were enough to convict the of- 
fender. 

The professor was enjoying his triumph, not vindic- 
tively, he persuaded himself, but in the sense that his 
own personal action and motives were on the eve 
of being justified. As the ship moved majestically 
down the river, he walked up and down, athwart 
ships, in a better mood to enjoy the scene which pre- 
sented itself than ever before since he joined the 
squadron. He walked from rail to rail because Paul 
was seated on the quarter-deck, and he did not care 
to meet him. When the young commander went be- 
low, he walked fore and aft. 

The deck was crowded with students waiting for 
the supper bell to ring ; and many an ugly and dis- 
satisfied look was bestowed upon him ; but the learn- 
ed gentleman, in his triumph, was too well pleased 
with himself to notice them. Mr. Hamblin involun- 
tarily extended his walk, from time to time, until it 
was continued to the forecastle, where the crew were 
collected in large numbers. Hardly had he passed 
the foremast on his first round, than he was saluted by 
a universal .groan, so deep and hearty that he stopped 
short and looked at the crowd. They were silent then. 

“Young gentlemen^’ said the savant , sternly, “ if 
that was intended as an expression of — ” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 2^1 

The remark of censure was brought to an abrupt 
termination by a very annoying incident. Mr.. Ham- 
blin had halted directly under the weather fore yard- 
arm, braced up so as to take the wind on the beam. 
Beiore lie had reached this point of his remark, a new 
fellow by the name of Little, remarkable for his agili- 
ty, dropped from the yard directly upon the top of 
the learned gentleman’s hat, in fact, sitting down upon 
his “ tile ” as fairly and squarely as though the deed 
had been done on purpose, bringing with him the 
slack of the weather clew-garnet. 

The professor was prostrated to the deck by the 
weight of the little seaman, — ■ for Little’s name pre- 
cisely described bis stature, — while the unfortunate 
boy was thrown forward flat upon his face. 

“ O, I’m killed, I’m killed ! ” cried Little, rising 
with much real or apparent difficulty, and pressing 
one hand upon his hip. 

“ You rascal, you ! ” roared Mr. Hamblin from the 
inside of his hat, as a dozen boys sprang forward to 
pick him up. 

The professor was not a fashionable man, and did 
not wear a hat which would simply rest upon the top 
of his head, or which would pinch the depository of 
his ancient lore, and the weight of the student had 
pressed it far down over his eyes. With some labor 
he extricated his learned pate from its imprisonment, 
and glanced with dismay at the hat — a new one which 
he had bought in Antwerp to replace the one he had 
lost overboard in the hurricane. 

“You scoundrel!” repeated the savant , when he 
had removed the mutilated tile. 


l >] 2 DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 

“ He didn’t mean to do it, sir,” said Perth, pointing 
to the bloody face of Little ; “ lie’s almost killed him- 
self.” 

“Are you hurt, Little?” demanded Mr. Lowing- 
ion, rushing forward when he discovered what had 
happened. 

“Yes, sir; almost killed,” groaned the poor boy, 
making the wryest face a boy ever made, and twisting 
himself into a contortion of body which none but an 
India-rubber youth like himself could have accom- 
plished. 

“ Pass the word for Dr. Winstock,” added the prin- 
cipal, anxiously. “Are you much injured, Mr. Ham- 
blin?” 

“ I believe there is a conspiracy to take my life,” 
growled the professor, without replying to the direct 
question. 

“ Are you hurt, sir? ” 

“ Not so much in body as in my feelings,” answered 
Mr. Hamblin, holding out his damaged hat. “ It was 
done on purpose, sir.” 

Dr. "Winstock now appeared on the forecastle, and 
as Little seemed to be the greater sufferer, he attended 
to his case first. He examined the face of the boy, 
for by the most assiduous rubbing with his right hand 
while his left was devoted to the hip, he had contrived 
to besmear his face all over with the blood which 
flowed freely from his nose. The surgeon could find 
no wound on the face, and it was plain that there was- 
nothing more terrible about the head than the nose 
bleed. 

“ Where are you hurt, Little?” asked the doctor- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 273 

“In the hip ; it’s broke ! ” replied the sufferer with 
an explosive groan. 

Dr. Winstock laid the patient down upon the deck, 
and proceeded to examine him with the greatest care. 
He declared that no bones were broken. 

“ He appears to be suffering great pain,” said the 
principal, anxiously. 

“ He has probably wrenched a muscle in his fall, 
and that is almost as painful as a broken bone. He 
has received no serious injury,” replied the doctor, 
as he lifted the patient from the deck. 

“ I am glad it is no worse. How did it happen, 
Little?” 

“ I was coming in from the weather yard-arm, sir. 
I should have gono down the leech of the foresail if 
you had not told me not to, sir. O ! ” gasped Little, 
distorting his face, and doubling up his lithe little body. 

“Never mind it now,” added the principal, kindly. 

“ I feel a little better, sir. Mr. Hamblin began to 
say something to the fellows on deck, and I stopped 
to listen. O ! ” — and Little doubled up again. “ I 
caught hold of the clew-garnet, sir — O ! I was lean- 
ing down to hear what Mr. Hamblin said, and bore 
my whole weight on the clew-garnet. It wasn’t be- 
layed, sir, — O ! — and it let me down.” 

Mr. Lowington desired to know what hands were 
stationed at the fore clew-garnets ; but when they ap- 
peared, they were very confident they had belayed 
these ropes as usual. Little was advised to go below 
and turn in ; but he preferred to remain on deck. As 
soon as the principal and the doctor had gone aft, the 
young reprobate turned to his companions, put his 


274 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


thumb to his bloody nose, and wiggled his fingers. 
Indeed, a remarkable cure seemed suddenly to have 
been wrought in his particular case ; for he walked as 
nimbly as ever, until some of the officers came for- 
ward, when, unfortunately, he had a sudden relapse, 
from which he ‘did not recover — when the “ powers 
that be ” were around — for several days. 

After supper Paul was sent for, and repaired to the 
main cabin, where he found the principal, the surgeon, 
Mr. Hamblin, and several of the professors. Mr. 
Lowington stated the charge preferred against Cap- 
tain Kendall, mentioning the evidence in support 
of it. He then inquired of the professor if he had 
anything to add to what he had already said on the 
subject. 

Mr. Hamblin had something to add, but it was in 
the nature of an argument against the accused, rather 
than a statement of fact. He reviewed his life on 
board the Josephine since the troubles had com- 
menced, enlarging upon the zeal with which he had 
discharged his duties. He gave his view of the diffi- 
culty between himself and the captain, as he had 
given it before ; but he adduced no new proofs of the 
charges he preferred. 

“ The only question before us at the present time, 
Mr. Hamblin, is in regard to the authorship of the 
letter purporting to come from Monsieur Rogier,” 
interposed Mr. Lowington. “ Have you any new 
evidence to bring forward?” 

u No, sir ; I think the charge has been fully 
proved,” replied Mr. Hamblin. 

44 Captain Kendall, if you have any defence to make, 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 275 


I am ready to hear it,” added the principal, turning to 
Paul. 

“ I did not write the letter, and I had no knowledge 
whatever of it until Mr. Hamblin received it. Per- 
haps the writing resembles mine, but not very much. 
Will you let me take the letter, sir? ” 

The note was handed to him, and he pointed out 
several letters which were different from any in the 
exercises by which the similarity had been shown. 

“ Of course he would disguise the handwriting,” 
interposed Mr. Hamblin. 

“ The writing alone would not prove anything,” 
added Mr. Lowington. 

“ So far as the kind of paper is concerned,” con- 
tinued Paul, picking up the half quire which the pro- 
fessor had taken from his state-room, “ I bought it in 
Antwerp- for a particular purpose.” He did not think 
it necessary to state that it was for his letters to Miss 
Grace Arbuckle. 

“Are you quite sure you bought it in Antwerp?” 
demanded the professor. 

“ I shall prove that I did,” replied Paul, indignant- 
ly. “ I wish to say I had a hint that the officers and 
crew were very much dissatisfied with Mr. Hamblin, 
and — ” 

“ With me ! ” exclaimed the savant , as though it 
were quite impossible for the students to be dissat- 
isfied with him. 

“ Allow Captain Kendall to make his statement, if 
you please,” said the principal. 

“ But, Mr. Lowington, his statement is incorrect. 
I have been on the best of terms with the majority 


27 6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


of my pupils. Only a few of the worst of them have 
manifested any ill-will towards me.” 

“ Go on, Captain Kendall,” said the principal. 

“ I am prepared to prove all I say. If I had known 
that this investigation was to take place to-day, I should 
have asked for the attendance of several witnesses. I 
used all my influence to prevent any one from playing 
practical jokes upon Mr. Hamblin. I desire to have 
the first lieutenant of the Josephine, and Duncan, ex- 
amined.” 

“What have they to do with it?” asked the pro- 
fessor, impatiently. 

“ After doing what I could to prevent others from 
annoying Mr. Hamblin by practical jokes, it is not 
likely that I should indulge in them myself.” 

“ That is a good point ; and to-morrow the wit- 
nesses shall be called,” said Mr. Lowington. 

“ I will now ask Dr. Winstock to make his state- 
ment,” added Paul, turning to the surgeon. 

“ The letter is postmarked ‘ Anvers,’ ” said the doc- 
tor, picking up the letter from the table. “ It is 
utterly impossible that Captain Kendall had anything 
to do with this document.” 

“Why so, sir?” demanded Mr. Hamblin, ner- 
vously. 

“ This letter passed through the Antwerp post- 
office. If Captain Kendall had mailed it there, I 
should have seen him do it. He was not out of my 
sight a single moment from the time we left the Jose- 
phine till we returned to her. This paper,” added the 
doctor, taking up the half quire, “ was purchased in 
Antwerp. I went into the shop with Captain Ken- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 277 

dal], and looked at the quality of it before it was 
done up.” 

“ Are you satisfied, Mr. Hamblin?” asked the prin- 
cipal. 

“ No, sir, I am not,” replied the professor, decidedly. 
“ I am by no means certain that the paper on which 
this letter was written was obtained in Antwerp. It 
does not follow because Dr. Winstock did not see Mr. 
Kendall mail this letter, that it was not mailed by him. 
I did not see him mail it ; Mr. Lowington did not see 
him mail it. He could have sent it to the post-office 
by a dozen of his confederates.” 

“ Since Captain Kendall desires that the first lieu 
tenant and Duncan should be heard, we will continue 
the examination till to-morrow,” added the principal, 
rising from his chair. 

The hearing was adjourned, and Paul returned to 
his room. 

*4 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


278 


CHAPTER XVII. 


MORE ABOUT THE DIKES AND DITCHES. 

HE pilot of the ship was discharged at eight 



1 o’clock in the evening, and the two vessels stood 
on their course to the northward, with a fresh breeze 
from the south-west. They kept just outside of the 
continuous chains of shoals on the coast, but for nearly 
the whole time within sight of the numerous light- 
houses which mark the various entrances of the 
Scheldt and the Maas. The masters on duty were 
kept very busy in consulting the charts and the 
sailing directions ; but at one o’clock the squadron 
was off the Brielle Gat, which is the deepest entrance 
to the river. 

There are two principal passages by which vessels 
may reach Rotterdam from the sea. At the mouth of 
the Maas, or of the river which includes the Rhine, 
Waal, and Maas, there is a large island called the 
Voorne. At the north of it is the Brielle Gat, which 
s the most direct sea passage to the city ; but the bar 
at its mouth has only seven and a half feet of water at 
low tide. At the south of the island is the Goeree 
Gat, by which the largest ships must enter, passing 
through the island in a canal. 

The Dutch pilot who boarded the ship, after learn- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 270 

ing her draught, declared that she could go over the 
bar of the Brielle Gat, and both vessels went up bv 
this passage. At five o’clock in the morning the 
squadron came to anchor in the broad bay before the 
city of Rotterdam. 

Paul Kendall, free from all care, and not much dis- 
turbed by the cloud which hung over him, had turned 
out early to see the sights on the river. He had a 
splendid prospect of windmills, dikes, and ditches. 
The Dutch pilot spoke intelligible English, and the 
young inquirer laid him under contribution for his 
stores of knowledge. Paul asked a great many ques- 
tions, which the pilot good-naturedly answered. 

Vlaardingen, the principal port engaged in the 
herring fishery, was pointed out to him. Every year 
this place sends out about a hundred and fifty ves- 
sels, or more than one half of the whole number 
engaged in this branch of the fisheries. On the ioth 
or nth of June, in each year, the officers of the 
herring fleet go to the Stadhuis , or town hall, and 
take the prescribed oath to observe the laws regu- 
lating the fisheries of Holland. Three days later they 
hoist their flags on board, and go to church to pray for 
a season of success. On the following day, which is 
kept as a holiday in the town, the fleet sails. The fish- 
ing season ends on the ist of November. 

The herring are highly prized by the Dutch, and 
the first which are caught by the fleet are sent home 
in the fastest vessels ; and when they are expected, 
watchmen are stationed in the Vlaardingen steeple 
to announce their approach. The first kegs are sent 
to the king and his chief officers of state. One of 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OH 


380 


these first cargoes produces about three hundred and 
twenty-five dollars, or eight hundred guilders. 

With a dense cloud of smoke hanging above it 
stood the town of Schiedam, which contains nearly 
two hundred distilleries for the manufacture of gin. 
Holland gin and Schiedam schnapps are regarded by 
those who indulge in these beverages as the best in the 
world. The place was surrounded by windmills, 
which are a principal feature of the scenery in all 
parts of Holland proper. 

After breakfast the signal was hoisted for the Jose- 
phines to attend the lecture on board the ship, and a 
boat was sent ashore, in charge of the steward, to pro- 
cure the mail. The students were perched in the 
rigging, observing the strange scenes which presented 
themselves on every hand. The river was full of 
market boats loaded with vegetables, the principal of 
which was a coarse plant, with large, straggling 
leaves, used as cabbage or greens. There were large 
and small steamers plying in every direction, and the 
scene was quite lively. 

The Josephine’s ship’s company came on board, and 
all hands were piped to lecture. Professor Mapps 
was at his post, with the map of the Netherlands 
hanging on the foremast. His description of the dikes 
and ditches of Holland was very full ; but such por- 
tions of it as have been given by Mr. Stoute will be 
omitted. 

“ Young gentlemen,” he began, “ I have already 
called your attention to the physical geography of the 
Netherlands. The Rhine, which in Germany is the 
Rhein , and in Holland the Rhyn , has its mouths in 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 28 1 


Holland. Its length is nine hundred and sixty miles, 
and it is of vast importance to Europe in a commercial 
point of view, being navigable for large vessels to 
Cologne, and nearly to its source for smaller ones, 
though occasionally interrupted by falls and rapids 
above Basle. Vessels of one hundred tons go up to 
Strasbourg. 

“ The Rhine enters Holland, and immediately 
divides into two branches, the southern being the 
Waal, and the northern retaining the original name. 
The Waal is the larger of the two, and flows west 
until it unites with the Maas, or Meuse, in Belgium, 
on one of whose estuaries our ship now floats. About 
ten miles below the Waal branch, the original Rhine 
divides again, the northern branch being called the 
Yssel, which flows north into theZuyder Zee. Thirty 
miles below the Yssel, it divides for a third time, the 
southern branch being called the Leek, of which the 
arm that flows by Rotterdam is the more direct con- 
tinuation, though all these branches are connected by 
frequent cut-offs. The original Rhine pursues its 
way to the German Ocean. The dunes, or sand-hills, 
formerly closed up this branch, and for a long period 
the water did not flow through it ; but at the beginning 
of the present century a canal was opened through 
the old bed. 

“ The Yssel formerly flowed into a fresh-water 
fake, where the Zuyder Zee, or Southern Sea, now is. 
Nearly the whole of the space occupied by this sea was 
then dry land ; but the ocean, in the course of time, 
swept away its barriers, and covered the region 
with water, which is navigable, however, ouly for 
*4* 


282 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


small vessels. Amsterdam is situated on an arm of this 
sea, called the Ij, or Eye, as it is pronounced. From 
the Helder, a point of land at the southern entrance 
to the ^uyder Zee, a ship canal, fifty’’ miles in length, 
extends to the city. This is the ‘ great ditch * of Hol- 
land. It is eighteen feet deep, and broad enough for 
two large ships to pass each other, having a double 
set of locks at each end, in order to keep the water qf 
uniform height, as in a dock. 

“ You are already familiar with the peculiar con- 
formation of Holland. There is not a hill, a forest, 
or a ledge of rocks worth mentioning in the whole 
region. A large portion of its territory has been re- 
deemed from the ocean by the most persevering labor, 
and by the most unremitting care and watchfulness is 
it kept from destruction. The sea is higher than the 
land, the lowest ground in the country being from 
twenty-four to thirty feet below high-water mark. The 
keel of the Young America, floating in some of the 
waters of Holland, would be higher than the ridge-pole 
of the Dutchman’s cottage on the other side of the 
dike. 

“ These low grounds, formerly swamps and lagoons, 
which lie below the sea level, are called polders. 
These were originally charged with water, and merely 
shutting out the sea was only half the battle. As in 
Ireland, the principal fuel of the people is peat, or 
turf, ten million tons of which are annually used. 
Immense excavations have been made in the polders 
to obtain the peat ; and the inhabitants stand an ulti 
mate chance of being robbed of their country by fire 
as well as by water. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 283 


“The natural lakes aud the peat-holes — the latter 
from twelve to twenty feet deep — formed extensive 
water-basins. Some of you will remember the turf 
diggings in the great bog in Ireland, as we passed 
through it on our way to Killarney. The peat was 
not dug out in trenches, but the entire surface of the 
land was skimmed off, just as workmen in the city dig 
away a hill. It was so in Holland ; and you must un- 
derstand that the bottom of these peat-beds forms the 
land now improved as gardens and farms. 

“ These depressions of the surface were filled with 
water. The first thing to be done is to shut out the 
ocean and its tributaries — all those rivers of which I 
have been speaking, that form a network of canals all 
over the country. For this purpose a dike is built on 
the border of the land to be enclosed. Take, for ex- 
ample, the Island of Ysselmonde, — the land next south 
of us, — and Holland really consists of nothing but 
islands formed by the rivers and the natural and arti- 
ficial canals. It will, therefore, be a correct specimen 
of the system of dikes and ditches throughout the 
country, though some of the sections are subject to 
greater or less difficulty in the drainage, owing to va- 
rious causes, which will be explained. 

“ When the dike around Ysselmonde is finished, the 
country is protected from inundation from without. 
Sometimes in winter the river may be blocked with 
ice, which stops the passage of the water. All the 
ice from the Rhine and Meuse must pass through 
these rivers on their way to the sea, and, being stopped 
in a narrow place, it forms a dam. In 1799 a large 
oortion of Holland was threatened with total destruc- 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


*84 

tion, on account of one of these blockades. Behind 
the dam the water rose seven feet in one hour, over- 
flowing the dikes, and breaking through them. This 
danger is incurred every winter; but disaster is gen- 
erally warded oft' by the vigilance of the dike-keepers. 

“ We will suppose that the dike we have built 
around Ysselmonde protects it from the' exterior 
water ; but as the water in the Maas, at high tide, or 
even at low tide, is above the surface of the polders, 
they cannot be drained by the ordinary ditches ; and 
it is necessary to remove the water by mechanical 
means. For this purpose windmills are erected on the 
dike, — as you see them in every direction, — many 
of which work water-wheels, pumps being but seldom 
used. The apparatus for removing the water is of sev- 
eral kinds, including a scoop-wheel, the screw of Ar- 
chimedes, and the inclined scoop-wheel. The water is 
not lifted to any considerable height by these instruments. 

“ When the height to which the water is to be 
raised is too great to be accomplished by the agency 
of one machine, a series of them is introduced. Sup- 
posing the land in the middle of Ysselmonde to be 
twenty feet below the level of the Maas, four series of 
operations would be required to lift the water. The 
central portion is enclosed by a dike, with a ringsloot , 
or canal, outside of it. The windmills raise the water 
live feet. Outside of this, as the level of the land 
rises, another canal and ditch are made, and the water 
is lifted another five feet ; and the process is repeated 
until the water is finally discharged into the river. 
The ditches which separate the different tracts of land 
are used as highways, for conveying the harvest to 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 28* 


market, the difference of level being overcome by 
locks. Of course the character of these works de- 
pends upon the formation of the land. 

“ The soil of the polders thus drained is remarkably 
rich and productive. The two chief exports of Hol- 
land are butter and cheese, the low lands furnishing 
excellent pasturage for cattle. 

“ In the service of the government is a special corps 
of engineers, called Waterstaat, who are employed in 
watching the waters and the dikes, and in guarding 
against any breaking of the latter. In the winter 
time, which is the period of the greatest peril to the 
dikes, these men, many of whom are gentlemen of 
the highest scientific cultifre, are stationed near the 
places where danger is apprehended. Buildings con- 
taining all the necessary materials and tools for re- 
pairing the embankments are provided, and, indeed, 
all precautions which skill, and science, and care can 
bring are at. hand; for the safety of the country de- 
pends upon these structures. 

“ The coat of arms of one of the Dutch provinces 
is a lion swimming, having this motto : Luctor et 
eynergo, ‘ I strive and keep my head above water,’ 
which seems to be the whole business of the Dutch 
people, figuratively ' and literally. If you visit the 
great dike of the Helder, as I hope you will, you 
may stand on the low land within it, and hear the 
thunder of the sea, as it beats against the dike, fifteen 
feet higher than your head. 

“ The canals of Holland serve a triple purpose. 
They are the highways of the country, they drain the 
.and, and they serve as fences. You travel all over 


286 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


the region in the canals, and all the productions are 
conveyed upon them. The roads are for the most 
part built on the tops of the dikes, but they are not 
solid enough to permit their use by heavily-loaded 
wagons. Many of them are paved with bricks, on 
account of their spongy nature, which answers very 
well for the passage of light vehicles. 

“ The people seem to have a peculiar affection for 
these ditches, and you will often find that the Dutch- 
man has his little private canal, extending around his 
house, apparently only to gratify his national vanity, 
though perhaps really it is his fence. Even here in 
Rotterdam, I have noticed a filthy ditch, from four 
to ten feet wide, between the house and the road. It 
is nearly filled with water, which is covered with a 
vile green scum. The wonder is, that this stagnant 
water does not breed a pestilence. 

“ The principal canals are sixty feet wide, and six 
feet deep, though of course many in the cities and 
elsewhere, intended for the passage of large vessels, 
are broader and deeper. 

“With this imperfect statement of the physical 
characteristics, as a basis for your observation, I leave 
the subject to say a few words about the government 
and history of the country. 

“ William III. is the present king of the Nether- 
lands. He is forty-seven years old, and is a lineal 
descendant of William of Orange, and a grandson, 
on the mother’s side, of Czar Paul I. of Russia. He 
has a salary, or civil list, of two hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars a year, which is pretty fair pay for 
ruling over a kingdom about the size of the State 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 2$7 

of Maryland, or of Massachusetts and Connecticut 
united, and containing a population about equal to 
that of the State of New York. 

“ The government is a limited monarchy, the whole 
legislative power being vested in the two chambers 
called the States General. The First Chamber consists 
of thirty-nine members, elected by provincial coun- 
cils, from those inhabitants who pay the highest 
grade of taxes. The Second Chamber contains sev- 
enty-two members, elected by general ballot ; but 
only those who pay taxes to the amount of fifty dol- 
lars a year are voters. All measures appropriating 
money for any purpose must originate in the Second 
Chamber, which is the popular body, and become 
laws only when assented to by the sovereign and the 
First Chamber. The king executes the laws with the 
aid of seven ministers, who receive a salary of five 
thousand dollars a year. 

“ Free toleration is allowed to all religious sects. 
Protestants are largely in the majority, the proportion 
being as twenty to twelve. Education is generally 
diffused among the people, in 1863 the revenue of 
the Netherlands amounted to forty-one millions of dol- 
lars. The Dutch have extensive colonial possessions 
in the East and West Indies, and on the west coast of 
Africa. The regular home army contains fifty-nine 
thousand officers and men. Its navy consists of fifty- 
eight steamers and eighty-one sailing vessels. 

“ I do not think you will be likely to realize the 
poetic ideal of the Dutchmen, young gentlemen. 
Though they drink a great deal of beer and Schiedam 
schnapps, you will seldom find them intoxicated ; 


288 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


and I have never been able to see that they smoke 
any more than the people of our own country. They 
are not necessarily fat and clumsy. The men are of 
medium stature, in no special degree distinguished 
from other people in Europe and America. The 
women are very domestic, and very cleanly in their 
persons and in their dwellings. The Dutch people 
are prudent, economical, beforehanded. 

“ In the brief sketch I gave you at Antwerp of the 
history of the Netherlands, that of Holland was in- 
cluded up to the period of the murder of the Prince 
of Orange, which occurred in 1584, while he was 
Stadtholder of the Seven United Provinces. At his 
death, his son, Prince Maurice, was elected Stadt- 
holder in his father’s place. He was then only sev- 
enteen years of age, but he proved to be a young 
man of great military ability, and commenced a glori- 
ous career, which ended only with his life, in 1625. 
With the bright example of Prince Maurice before 
them, I think our young captains of his age may be 
encouraged.” 

This remark “ brought down the house,” and more 
than fifty of the students glanced at Paul Kendall, 
whose “ improbable ” achievements in the Josephine 
were the admiration of everybody in the squadron, 
except Professor Hamblin. 

“Philip II. died in 1598, and his successor con- 
tinued his efforts to conquer the Dutch, but without 
success. By this time Holland had created the most 
powerful navy in the world, and with her seventy 
thousand seamen swept the commerce of the Span- 
iards from the seas, even in the remotest waters of the 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 289 

globe. The galleons ancl treasure ships from the colo- 
nies of Spain were captured, and their rich booty 
poured into the exchequer of the Dutch. The mon- 
arch of Castile was almost impoverished by these 
losses ; and, deprived of the means to carry on the war 
of subjugation, he agreed, in 1609, to a truce of 
twelve years. 

“ Religious dissensions then broke out in Holland, 
which soon assumed a political turn. The Stadtholder, 
Prince Maurice, was ambitious to become the heredi- 
tary sovereign of Holland, in which he was opposed 
by Barneveldt, a venerable judge, aided by De Groot, 
or Grotius, a noted Dutch scholar and statesman. 
The opposition were styled ‘ remonstrants.’ The 
judge was charged with a plot to hand his country 
over to the tyranny of Spain ; and though he was a 
pure patriot, he was condemned and executed. Gro- 
tius, by an expedient-wdiich would have been deemed 
improbable in a novel, escaped from the Castle of 
Loevestein. 

“ At the expiration of the truce, Spain renewed her 
eflorts^to conquer Holland ; but, after a war of twenty- 
seven years, the independence of the country was 
acknowledged in the peace of Westphalia. During 
this period the Dutch maintained their supremacy on 
the sea, attacking the Spanish possessions in all parts 
of the world, and especially in the East Indies, where 
they commenced the foundation of their empire in 
that part of the globe. 

“ The growing naval power of Holland excited the 
apprehensions of England, and war was the conse- 
quence, in which the Dutch Admirals Van Tromp 
3 ? 


290 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


De Ruiter, and De Witt, as well as Admiral Blake 
of the British navy, won imperishable renown. 

“ Prince Maurice was succeeded at his death by his 
brother Henry ; but, in 1650, the office of Stadtholder 
was abolished, and that of Grand Pensionary substi- 
tuted. John De Witt held the position. 

“ In 1668, France having seized upon the Spanish 
Netherlands, Plolland united with England and Swe- 
den to check the power of the French monarch ; but 
Charles II., subsidized by Louis XIV. of France, de- 
serted his ally. England and France united, won Swe- 
den over, and formed a league against Holland. Louis 
invaded Holland with an army six times as large as the 
Dutch could bring into the field, and conquered three 
provinces. The quarrel between the house of Orange 
and the party headed by the Grand Pensionary still 
continued to rage. The supreme power was in the 
hands of the States General. De Witt proposed to 
establish the government of Holland in the Ea«t India 
possessions, as Portugal did in Brazil, rath<r than 
submit. The representative of the house of' Orange 
encouraged the people to resist at home, and declared 
that he would ‘ die in the last ditch.’ A:> the forma- 
tion of the country rendered it exceedingly probable 
that the ‘ last ditch ’ was to be found somewhere iv 
Holland, the advice of this Prince of Orange waa 
adopted. The popular current turned in his favor, 
and against the Grand Pensionary, who was mur- 
dered by a mob at The Hague. 

“ The Prince of Orange was elected Stadtholder, 
and is known as William III. Instead cf seeking the 
4 last ditch ’ himself, he opene i it for the benefit of the 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 291 

invaders. The dikes were cut, and the country was 
so thoroughly inundated that the French army was 
forced to retire, after sustaining very heavy losses. 
Peace was made with England in 1674, and three 
years later, the Stadtholder married Mary, daughter 
of James, Duke of York, who became king of Eng- 
land at the death of his brother Charles II. By the 
revolution of 1688, William and Mary were declared 
joint sovereigns of England. 

“ When William III. died, his cousin and next 
heir was not recognized as Stadtholder of Holland, 

the . 0 : '~ n rty being in the ascendant. A 

rep^olic was aga. organized under Heinsius ; but, 
in 1747, tbe prince . gain prevailed, and the line of the 
Stadtholders was resumed under William IV., who 
was succeeded by William V. In 1795 the Batavian 
Republic was estal lished, under the influence of the 
French Revolution, France having conquered the 
country. 

Mr.^oleon remodelled the government, 
ant placed his brc her Louis, the father of the present 
French emperor, 1 pon the throne. Louis, who was 
a very moderate and sensible man, offended his 
brother by ruling his kingdom in the interest of 
Holland rather th in France, and, after a brief reign 
of four years, was compelled to abdicate. Napoleoi 
then annexed Holland to France. 

“At the downfall of Napoleon the Netherlands 
were erected into a kingdom, which included Bel- 
gium, as I have before stated, and the Prince of 
Orange was made king, under the title ot William I. 
The present sovereign is his grandson. The Belgian 


z 92 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


Revolution of 1830 deprived Holland of one half ot 
its territory, and more than half of its people ; but 
these events I mentioned in my lecture at Ant- 
werp.” 

Mr. Mapps retired, and Mr. Lowington took his 
place. 

“ Young gentlemen,” said the principal, “ this after- 
noon we shall make a steamboat excursion to Dort, 
and through some of the arms of the sea, to enable 
you to see Dutch life from the water. On Monday 
we shall start on a grand excursion through Holland, 
visiting the following places in the order in which they 
are mentioned : Delft, The Hague, Leyden, Harlem, 
Amsterdam, Sardam, Broek, Alkmaar, The Helder, 
and Utrecht. The programme will enable you to see 
all the interesting points of Holland, including the 
capital, the drained lake of Harlem, and the great 
dike of the Helder. 

“ The water of Holland is very bad, and drank in any 
considerable quantities would probably make you sick. 
Spring water, brought from Utrecht in stone jars, 
may be obtained in the large towns. Whenever it 
is practicable, I shall see that you are supplied with, 
it; but avoid the common water. You will now re- 
sume your studies.” 

Mr. Hamblin took his place with the other profess- 
ors, and the studies of the ship went on as usual. 
The mail came on board, and, when school was dis- 
missed, the letters were distributed. The first lieu- 
tenant of the Josephine and Duncan were invited to 
the main cabin to give their evidence in regard to the 
trouble between Paul and the professor. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 29$ 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

AN EXCURSION AMONG THE DIKES. 

T ERRILL and Duncan, with the letters in their 
hands which they had just received, entered the 
main cabin. They were called upon, in the presence 
of Mr. Lowington and Mr. Hamblin, as well as Cap- 
tain Kendall, to give their testimony, which went to 
show that the commander was thoroughly and heartily 
opposed to any demonstration against the obnoxious 
instructor. 

“What did Mr. Kendall say to you?” asked Mr. 
Hamblin. 

“ He asked me to use my influence with the fellows 
to prevent anything being done, and wished me to let 
them all know that he would not tolerate anything 
irregular,” replied Duncan. 

“ Did he, indeed ! ” sneered Mr. Hamblin. 

“ He did, indeed,” answered Duncan, with a twin- 
kle of the eye. 

“ How happened he to say as much as this to you ? ” 
demanded the professor. 

“ Because, being an old friend and schoolmate of 
Captain Kendall, I happened to tell him that the fel 
lows were inclined to haze Mr. Hamblin.” 

“ To haze me ! ” exclaimed Mr. Hamblin. 

25* 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


294 

“ I understand that we are to tell the whole truth 
here,” added Duncan, who seemed to enjoy the con- 
fusion of the learned gentleman. “ I didn’t hear of 
any particular plans ; but the fellows kept hinting at 
something.” 

“Did they, indeed?” 

“ They did, indeed.” 

“ But you don’t know what they were?” 

“ I do not, sir.” 

“ Can you tell me who wrote the letter I asked you 
to translate? ” 

a No sir, I cannot.” 

Mr. Lowington asked some questions of the witness ; 
and it was evident to him that the disaffection on 
board of the Josephine was more general than he had 
before suspected. Terrill was called upon to explain 
still further the position of the captain ; and Duncan 
opened his letters, being, as all the boys were, anxious 
to hear from home. He had two letters. Besides the 
one from his mother, there was another postmarked 
at Cologne, which he read after he had finished the 
first. 

As Duncan read this Cologne letter his face became 
quite red, and he was not a little agitated. By the 
time he had finished both of them, the first lieutenant 
had told all he knew in regard to the captain’s 
position. He was very candid in making his state- 
ment, and took no pains to conceal the general dis- 
gust felt on board of the consort at the conduct of Mr. 
Hamblin ; and he took no pains to conceal the fact 
that he shared the feelings of his shipmates. 

“ I should like ‘a add something to my former state- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 295 

ment, if you please, Mr. Lowington,” said Duncan, 
rising, with the Cologne letter in his hand. 

“ What do you wish to add?” asked the principal. 

“ I know now who wrote the letter to Mr. Ham- 
blin.” 

“Who?” 

“ Richard H. Linggold.” 

“Who is he?” 

“ He is an old schoolmate of mine, whom I met in 
Antwerp the afternoon we first went ashore there,” 
replied Duncan, who now appeared to be considerably 
embarrassed. 

“Was he a schoolmate of Mr. Kendall also?” 
demanded Mr. Hamblin, who was more anxious to 
connect the letter with him than to promote the dis- 
cipline of the students. 

“ No, sir ; I don’t think Captain Kendall ever saw 
Linggold.” 

“ We are to conclude, Duncan, that you put him up 
to this mischief,” added Mr. Lowington. 

“ Yes, sir; I did,” answered Duncan, candidly. 

“ Why did you virtually deny all knowledge of the 
letter when I appealed to the ship’s company before 
the suspension of Captain Kendall,” continued Mr. 
Lowington, sternly. 

“ I will explain. I met Linggold in Antwerp, and 
spent an hour with him at the Hotel St. Antoine, 
where he was staying with his uncle. He wanted to 
know about the academy squadron, and I told him 
all about both vessels. As the trouble we had had in 
the Josephine was uppermost in the minds of all of 
us, I told him all about that.” 


296 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“ Did you, indeed?” said Mr. Hamblin. 

“ I did, indeed. I am willing to acknowledge that 
I intended to join with the rest of the fellows in hazing 
Mr. Hamblin.” 

“Are you, indeed?” sneered the professor, so 
wrathy that it was impossible for him to keep his 
seat, and he began to stride up and down the cabin. 

“I am, indeed. About a dozen of 11s were going 
to write letters to Mr. Hamblin from all the big bugs, 
including Louis Napoleon, the King of Holland, the 
King of Belgium, and all the Ministers of State whose 
names we could find out.” 

“Were you, indeed?” gasped the savatit, passing 
before the witness. 

“ We were, indeed. I told Linggold what we were 
going to do, and he promised to help me, being a 
first-rate French and German scholar; but I told him 
we didn’t want any help, and that he would get me 
into a scrape if he meddled with the matter. I meant 
to have the letters mailed in some place where none 
of us ever went. I told Linggold I wanted him to 
take the letters and mail them at Cologne, and other 
places he went to in his travels ; and he promised to 
do so.* I didn’t think of such a thing as his writing 
any letter after what I said. I left him then, and 
haven’t seen or heard from him since till now. He 
must have written the letter right off, and mailed 
it at once, for it came on board the Josephine that 
night.” 

“ Do you mean to say that you didn’t know this 
letter was to be written?” demanded Mr. Hamblin, 
sharply. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 29^ 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ When I asked you to give me a translation of it, 
were you not aware that it was a forgery ? ” 

“ I supposed it was.” 

“ You knew it was ! ” 

“ No, sir ; I did not. I had no knowledge whatever 
in regard to the writer. It did not occur to me, after 
what had passed between Linggold and me, that he 
wrote the letter. I believed it was done by some fel- 
low on board. When the captain was arrested, all 
the fellows tried to find out who had sent the letter, 
but no one would acknowledge it.” 

“ Did you write any letters of this description, 
Duncan?” asked the principal. 

“ No, sir. I had two conversations with the cap- 
tain ; and when he asked me to do what I could to 
prevent any tricks being played upon the professor, 
I determined not to have anything to do with the let- 
ters, or any practical jokes of any kind. I can bring 
a dozen fellows to prove that I said all I could to 
keep them from playing any tricks.” 

“ What does your friend say in his letter?” 

“ He says the joke was so good he couldn’t resist 
the temptation to send the first letter to the professor 
himself, and wants to know why I didn’t send the 
letters to him that I promised?” 

“ Why didn’t you ? ” 

“ After what the captain said, I persuaded the fel- 
lows not to write the letters, and I did not write any 
myself. This letter is on the same kind of paper as 
that,” added Duncan, pointing to that which Paul 
had. 


298 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


“Are you satisfied, Mr. Hamblin?” asked Mr. 
Lowington. 

“ No, sir, I am not,” replied the professor, decid- 
edly. “ It appears that there was an organized con- 
spiracy against me in the consort.” 

“ But it does not appear that Captain Kendall had 
anything to do with it,” added the principal, mildly. 

“ These boys are deceitful.” 

“ Some of them are,” replied Mr. Lowington, tak- 
ing his pen and writing a few lines. “ Duncan, I am 
not satisfied with your conduct.” 

“ I am not satisfied with it myself, sir,” answered 
Duncan. “ Perhaps I ought to have known where 
that letter came from when Mr. Hamblin asked me 
to translate it ; but I supposed some of the fellows on 
board had done it.” 

“ Didn’t you recognize the writing of your friend?” 

“ No, sir ; it is very much like that of half a dozen 
fellows on board.” 

“ It is very much like Mr. Kendall’s,” said Mr. 
Hamblin. 

“ Linggold, Captain Kendall, and myself, all learned 
to write in the same school.” 

“ Then Mr. Kendall knows this Linggold? ” 

“ No, sir ; he didn’t go to the school till Captain 
Kendall left.” 

“ I suppose not,” added the incredulous professor. 
“ I am still of the opinion that Mr. Kendall wrote 
that letter.” 

“ I am entirely satisfied that he did not write it. 
Duncan, you will remain on board of the ship. Mr. 
Terrill, you will return to the Josephine, pipe to mus- 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 299 

ter, and read this order. Captain Kendall will return 
with you.” 

What is the order?” demanded Mr. Hamblin. 

“ ‘ All charges against Captain Kendall being dis- 
proved, he is hereby reinstated, and ordered to resume 
the command of the Josephine,’” replied the princi- 
pal, reading the order. 

“ Mr. Lowington, I protest — ” 

“ I have heard you patiently, Mr. Hamblin, and 
have given my decision,” interposed the principal, 
directing the students present to retire. 

Paul bowed to Mr. Lowington, and left the cabin. 
The investigation had ended as he had supposed from 
the beginning that it would end. 

“ Mr. Lowington, I protest against this decision,” 
repeated Mr. Hamblin, angrily. “ I feel obliged to 
say that there has been a great lack of judgment in 
managing this unpleasant business.” 

“And I feel obliged to remind you, Mr. Hamblin, 
that I am the principal of this academy squadron. 
My decision is final,” replied Mr. Lowington, with 
dignity, as he rose from his chair and left the cabin. 

“ Snubbed by the boys, snubbed by the principal ! ” 
exclaimed the learned gentleman. “ Dr. Winstock, 
did you ever witness a more ridiculous farce in your 
life?” 

“ Never, sir,” replied the surgeon. “ It seems to 
me that you insist upon condemning Captain Kendall, 
guilty or innocent.” 

“ I have no doubt whatever of his guilt. Those 
boys are all in league with each other, Kendall in- 
cluded. There is a conspiracy to annoy me, and to 


3 °° 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


get rid of me ; but they will find they have mistaken 
their man in me, if they haven’t in anybody else ! 
Dr. Winstock, I tell you the letter Duncan held in his 
hand was a fiction ! I have been with students all 
my life, and I know them.” 

“ Why a fiction? ” 

“ That Duncan, who is a very plausible young man, 
and a friend of Kendall, mind, is at the bottom of all 
this mischief. He wrote the Cologne letter himself. 
It was got up, and sent enclosed to the postmaster at 
Cologne, who of course forwarded it to Rotterdam. 
It is a trick to disprove the charge against Kendall.” 

Mr. Hamblin was very much excited, and developed 
his theory in full to the surgeon, who quietly pointed 
out its discrepancies. He insisted that the students 
of the Josephine had thorned and irritated him for 
the_sole purpose of getting rid of him, and that Paul 
was at the bottom of the mischief. 

“ When Mr. Lowington has been among students 
as long as I have, he will understand them better,” 
he added, triumphantly, for he was satisfied that he 
had established his position. “ The Josephine is an 
utter failure ! The plan is absurd and ridiculous. 
The senior professor has no authority ; or it is di- 
vided with a boy who hates Greek ! ” 

Dr. Winstock had heard quite enough on the sub- 
ject, and it was a great relief to him when the dinner- 
bell rang. At this moment three times three rousing 
cheers came over the water from the Josephine. It 
was not difficult to determine the occasion of this 
demonstration ; but Mr. Hamblin declared it was 
another evidence that the students in the consort were 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 3OI 


all in league, and that the captain of her, instead of 
being cheered, ought to be in the brig. 

Before the dinner was finished, a Dutch steamer, 
which Mr. Fluxion had engaged, came alongside the 
ship, and all hands were piped on board. She then 
went to the Josephine, and received her company. 

“ This steamer does not seem to be much different 
from those we saw in England,” said Paul, as he 
seated himself with Dr. Winstock where they could 
see the country on both sides of the river. 

“ Not very different, but it is very unlike an Ameri- 
can boat,” replied the surgeon. 

“ The steering apparatus is not like anything I ever 
saw before,” added Paul. “ The helmsman stands on 
a raised platform, and his wheel revolves horizon- 
tally.” 

“ All the Rhine steamers have that arrangement.” 

“ I think a wheel-house forward is ever so much 
better. I see the cook is a woman.” 

“ Yes ; all the Rhine steamers have female cooks. 
This boat, I believe, belongs to the Moerdyk line. 
Passengers from Antwerp come by railroad to Moer- 
dyk. and there take the steamer to Rotterdam. This 
country is very favorable to railroads in being level, 
but very unfavorable in the number of rivers and cut- 
offs to be crossed, which it is impossible to bridge.” 

The steamer stood up the Leek, and turned into the 
Merwe, which is a branch five or six miles in length, 
connecting the Leek and the Waal. On each side 
was a dike, of course ; but the view from the steamer 
showed only an ordinary bank. The top ot it was 
broad, and occasionally there was a neat cottage or 
26 


3°2 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


a little inn upon the top of it. The roof or chimney 
of a house beyoftd it was frequently observed, other- 
wise the uninformed traveller would not have sus- 
pected the character of the country. The embanks 
ment was studded with windmills, placed on the 
highest ground, to give the sails the full benefit of 
the wind. Some of them were used for grinding 
grain, some for sawing lumber, and others for forcing 
the water up from the low ground into the river. 

The steamer passed from the Merwe into the Waal, 
and stood up the river. There was but little variation 
in the scenery. The wall of dikes on either side was 
uninterrupted. Sometimes they were lined with rows 
of trees, between which was the common road ; at 
others they were bare and naked. The captain of the 
steamer told them that a portion of the country in 
the vicinity was lower than the bottom of the river. 
The whole region seemed to be saturated with water, 
and the wonder is that the people can go ' to bed at 
night with any assurance that they will not be drowned 
out before morning. 

“ There is the Castle of Loevestein,” said the captain 
of the boat, who spoke good English, “and the fort 
below has tlie same name.” 

“ Did you ever hear of it before?” asked Mr. 
Mapps, who was on the lookout for places of histori- 
cal interest, as he turned to a group of seamen. 

“You mentioned it this morning,” replied one of 
the students. 

“ In what connection?” 

“ Some man had a wonderful escape from it,” added 
another. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 303 

t,; Who was that man ? ” 

“ A Dutchman with a Latin name.” 

“ Grotius, or De Groot,” added Mr. Mapps. “ The 
Stadtholder, Prince Maurice, the boy general and ruler, 
wished to make himself hereditary sovereign of the 
Netherlands, and was opposed by the judge, Barne- 
veldt, and Grotius. The prince carried the day ; 
Barneveldt was executed, and Grotius imprisoned in 
this castle, where he was kept nearly two years. He 
was very strictly guarded at first; but his wife, finding 
that the vigilance of the sentinels was relaxed, devised 
a scheme for effecting his liberation. The books, pa- 
pers. and linen of the prisoner were conveyed to him 
in a large box, which the guards, having so often 
searched in vain for contraband articles, at last neg- 
lected to examine. The box, and the carelessness 
of the soldiers, suggested to the wife of Grotius the 
means of getting her husband out of the castle. 

“ She prepared the chest by boring some holes in 
it, for the admission of the air, and took her servant- 
girl into her confidence. The box was conveyed to 
the apartment of Grotius, and the project explained 
to him. He did not relish the idea of being shut up 
in a chest, and rolled about in a boat ; but his wife’s 
entreaties prevailed over his scruples. It was pre- 
tended that the box was filled with books which the 
learned man had borrowed in Gorcum, the town which 
you see on the other side of the river. 

“ The chest, containing the philosopher, was con- 
veyed by the soldiers down to the boat, in charge of 
the servant-girl. When one of them complained of its 
weight, the man said it was the Arminian books which 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


3°4 

were so heavy ; for Grotius was an Arminian in his 
theology. The soldier suggested that it was the 
Arminian himself ; but this was intended as a joke, 
and the box was tumbled into the boat. The servant 
made a signal with her handkerchief to her mistress, 
who was looking out of the window, to indicate that 
all was right. 

“ When the boat reached Gorcum, the box was con- 
veyed to the house of a friend of Grotius, of whom it 
was presumed that he had borrowed the books. The 
servant-girl told him that her master was in the box, 
and begged his assistance ; but he was so terrified, in 
view of the consequences, that he refused to have any- 
thing to do with the matter. His wife, however, had 
more pluck in the service of a friend, and, having 
sent all her domestics out of the house on various 
errands, she opened the box, and released the phi- 
losopher from durance vile. 

“ Grotius, who had suffered no serious inconve- 
nience from his confinement in the box, which was 
only three and a half feet long, was disguised as a 
mason, and, with a rule and trowel in his hand, was 
conducted to a boat, and sent into Belgium, where he 
was safe from pursuit. 

“ The philosopher’s wife remained in the room oc- 
cupied by her husband in the castle, and used every 
means to conceal his escape. She lighted the lamp 
in his room at dark, by which the governor of the 
prison was deceived. She was arrested and impris- 
oned for a short time ; but when discharged, she joined 
her husband in Paris, whither he had gone.” 

“ There is a frigate in the Dutch navy called the 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 305 

Marie van Reigersberch, named for the wife of Gro- 
tius,” added the captain of the steamer, who had been 
an attentive listener to the story. 

The steamer went but a short distance farther up 
the Waal, and then came about. She soon reached 
Dort, or Dordrecht, where she made a landing, and 
the students wandered for an hour through the streets 
of this ancient town. 

“. This is a musty old place,” said Paul, as he walked 
up one of the streets with a canal in the middle of it, 
in company with Mr. Fluxion and the surgeon ; “ I 
shouldn’t feel safe here unless I lived in a boat.” 

“ Many of the people live in boats, as you perceive,” 
added Mr. Fluxion, as he pointed to a gayly-painted 
craft, on the deck of which was a group of children. 

At the little window in the stern sat a woman, sew- 
ing, while another was knitting near the cabin door. 
There were white muslin curtains at the stern ports, 
and what could be seen of the interior of the apart- 
ment indicated that it was kept extremely neat. 

“ I think I should prefer to live in something that 
would float, in case of accident,” laughed the doc- 
tor, “ especially in this part of Holland. The opera- 
tion of the water is wonderful. The channel in front 
of Dort was formed by an inundation which separated 
the town from the main land, leaving it deep enough 
to float the largest Indiaman.” 

“ The Leek, on which we sailed for a time after 
leaving Rotterdam, was a canal dug by the Romans 
to connect the Rhine and the Waal,” added Mr. Flux- 
ion. “A freshet cleaned it out, and tore away its 
banks so as to make the present broad river of it. In 
26 * 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


306 

an inundation a few years later, seventy-two villages 
were swept away, and one hundred thousand people 
lost their lives. Thirty-five of these villages were 
never heard from afterwards, and not even their rums 
could be found.” 

“ I should emigrate if I lived here,” said Paul. 

“ The people of Holland are very much attached to 
their country,” replied Dr. Winstock. 

“ Well, they ought to be, on the principle that we 
like best what has cost us the most trouble to procure,” 
added Paul. “ It seems to me a great pity that people 
should struggle here to keep their heads above water, 
when we have so much spare land in America. We 
could take them all in without feeling it.” 

“ Dutchmen would not feel at home on high 
ground.” 

“ We could plant them down in Louisiana, and even 
treat them to an occasional inundation.” 

“ Certainly we should be very happy to accommo- 
date them with a country. We have a great many 
Dutchmen already, and they make thrifty, industrious, 
and useful people,” continued the doctor. “ But I 
think, if Holland were blotted out of existence, the 
world would miss it very much.” 

“This is a great lumber port,” said Mr. Fluxion. 
“ Those great rafts which float down the Rhine from 
Switzerland are mostly brought to this place. I hope 
the boys will have a chance to see one of those rafts, 
for they are stupendous affairs. One of them some- 
times contains a hundred and fifty thousand dollars’ 
worth of lumber, and has a crew of four or five hun- 
dred men.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 30? 

“ I think I heard Mr. Lowington say that we were 
to go down the Rhine,” replied Paul. 

“ That is the Kloveniers Doelcn,” said Mr. Fluxion, 
as he led his companions into a back street and point- 
ed out an old Gothic building. “ It was here that the 
Protestant divines discussed the doctrines of the re- 
formed religion, whose ‘ miraculous labors made hell 
tremble,’ to quote the words of its presiding officer. 
The assembly is called in history the Synod of Dort. 
The building, as you may see by reading the sign, is 
now a low public house and dance-hall.” 

“Reading the sign!” exclaimed Paul, laughing; 
“ a fellow would knock all the teeth out of his head 
in attempting to speak some of these words.” 

“ But many of them are very like English words. 
A dike is a dijk .” 

“ Steamboats are stoombooten” said Paul ; “ and a 
street is a straat. What are canals?” 

“ Grachten; the drawbridge is ophaalbruggcn .” 

“ Whew ! ” whistled Paul. 

“ But you can observe something like open-bridge 
in the sound. You see that the spiegcls are very com- 
mon here.” 

“ I see they are ; but I haven’t the least idea what 
they are.” 

“The little mirrors placed outside the windows.” 

“ I saw plenty of them in Antwerp.” 

“ They are not as common there as in Holland, 
where they are to be seen attached to almost every 
house. By this contrivance a Dutch dame can see 
every person that passes in the street, without raising 


3 °S 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


the blinds. But I think the hour is nearly up, and we 
must return to the steamer,” said Mr. Fluxion. 

The party went on board, and the steamer returned 
to Rotterdam by a different route from that by which 
she had come. The next day was Sunday. After 
the second service on board the ship, Mr. Fluxion, hav- 
ing occasion to go on shore, invited Paul to accompa- 
ny him. 

“ It will not seem much like Sunday to you in Rot- 
terdam,” said the vice-principal, as they landed at the 
quai. 

“ I supposed the Dutch were very strict.” 

“ Some of them are. Look down that street,” said 
Mr. Fluxion, as he pointed to the broad avenue which 
bordered the great river. “ You observe that the 
quais are all lined with ships. In the houses oppo- 
site live the merchants. They occupy the upper sto- 
ries of the buildings, while the lower arc used as 
counting-rooms and storehouses. The ship-owner sits 
at his parlor window and witnesses the unlading of 
his vessel.” 

They walked up to the Hotel des Pays-Bas, which 
the traveller is informed by its card is situated in the 
Jvortc Hoogstraat , wijk N°. 2S7, where Mr. Fluxion 
desired to sec a gentleman who had engaged to meet 
him there. In one of the public rooms a party were 
playing cards, drinking, and smoking, and talking 
Dutch in the most vehement manner. After a stay of 
an hour at the hotel, they returned to the quai , pass, 
ing through Zandstraat , which was filled with peo- 
ple, shouting, singing, and skylarking. About every 
other shop appeared to be a drinking saloon, in which 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 309 

a fiddle or a hurdy-gurdy was making wild music, 
while the floor was crowded with men and women 
dancing. 

In another street they encountered a mock proces- 
sion of girls and boys, singing in the most stormy man- 
ner as they marched along. It was not at all like 
Sunday, and Paul was so shocked at the desecration 
of the day, that he was glad to regain the silence of 
his cabin in the Josephine. 


3 IQ 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


CHAPTER XIX. 

A RUN THROUGH HOLLAND. 

L IKE that of all impulsive men, the wrath of Mr. 

Hamblin was short-lived, though he still felt that 
he was greatly abused, greatly distrusted, and greatly 
under-estimated ; and the last was the greatest sin of 
all. After the first blast of his anger at the final de- 
cision of the principal had subsided, he was disposed 
to he more politic. Mr. Lowington had snubbed him, 
which was a great mistake on Mr. Lowington’s part. 

Mr. Hamblin knew that he was an older man than 
the principal, and he felt that he was a wiser one, and 
his employer ought to consult him, defer to his opin- 
ion, and take his advice. He did not do this to the 
extent the learned gentleman demanded ; and the 
Academy Ship was the sufferer thereby, not himself. 
If Mr. Lowington could stand it, he could, disagree- 
able as it was. If Mr. Hamblin had been pecuniarily 
independent, he would have thrown up his situation, 
and visited the classic lands alone ; but as he was not 
able to do this, he decided to submit to Mr. Lowing- 
ton’s caprices, and give the institution the benefit of 
his valuable services. 

If the students had known of this decision, they 
would have remonstrated against it. As it was, they 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 31I 

protested in their own way. On Saturday night, after 
the return of the students from the excursion, while 
the savant was promenading the deck for his needed 
exercise, not less than three practical jokes were 
played off upon him. The crew were squaring the 
yards, hauling taut the sheets, lifts, and braces, and 
putting the deck in order for Sunday. The professor 
was tipped over by getting entangled in a piece of rig- 
ging, a bucket of water was dashed upon his legs, and 
a portion of the contents of a slush-tub was poured 
upon him from the main-top. No one seemed to see 
him ; the students appeared to be struck with blind- 
ness, so far as the learned gentleman was concerned. 
It is true that the rogues who pulled the brace, dashed 
the water, and upset the slush-tub, were immediately 
committed to the brig ; but this did not seem to afford 
much comfort to the victim. 

On Sunday morning it was necessary to commit 
three more ; but the whole six were released in the 
evening, because they could not sleep in the brig. 
Mr. Lowington was annoyed quite as much as the 
professor ; and when Mr. Fluxion came on board, he 
had a long conversation with him on the subject. 

“ I was a boy once, Mr. Lowington,” said the vice- 
principal ; “ and I am free to say I would not have 
tolerated such an instructor as Mr. Hamblin. He 
hasn’t a particle of sympathy with the students. lie 
is haughty, stiff, and overbearing. He is imperious, 
fretful, snarling, and tyrannical. In a word, I don’t 
blame the boys for disliking him.” 

“ I am conscious that lie is not the right person. In 
the case of Kendall, he protested against my decision, 


3 12 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


and had the impudence to tell me that I lacked judg- 
ment. I have engaged him for a year. What shall I 
do?” replied the principal. 

“ I hardly know ; but we shall be in trouble as long 
as he is in the squadron. We must give the boys fair 
play, if we expect them to do their duty.” 

“ I have kept Duncan on board the ship, and I sup- 
pose I must punish him,” added Mr. Lowington. “ He 
plotted mischief, but he has really done nothing.” 

“ Excuse me,” said Dr. Winstock, as he opened the 
door, but retreated when he saw that he disturbed a 
private interview. 

“ Come in, doctor ; I wish to see you,” replied the 
principal. 

The surgeon was admitted to the conference, and 
the case stated to him. 

“ The pedagogue of the past is rapidly going out of 
fashion,” said the doctor. “ Our educational system 
is progressive, and it will no longer tolerate the teacher 
who is the petty tyrant he was twenty years ago. Mr. 
Hamblin is an old-school pedagogue. His will is law, 
which is all right to a certain extent. The teacher 
must be the judge between right and wrong ; but he 
must be gentle and kind, and raise no false issues be- 
tween his pupil and himself. Mr. Hamblin is not 
gentle and kind. He is capricious, wilful, and pas- 
sionate.” 

“ I agree with you in regard to Mr. Hamblin ; but 
what shall I do? ” 

“ Discharge him,” replied the doctor, promptly. 
“ Any instructor who cannot get along with Paul 
Kendall, without quarrelling, is not fit for his place. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 313 


The students of the Josephine have hazed Mr. Ham- 
blin out of pure sympathy for their captain.” 

“ I have engaged Mr. Hamblin for a year from the 
1 st of July.” 

“ I should pay him his salary in full, and let him 
depart in peace, if he would.” 

“ We need his services as an instructor.” 

“ So far as that is concerned, I will volunteer to take 
the department of mathematics. I was a tutor in col- 
lege in that branch for a couple of years.” 

Mr. Lowington thanked the surgeon for this offer ; 
and the call to divine service in the steerage terminat- 
ed the interview. The principal’s advisers spoke his 
own opinions ; and the only thing that embarrassed 
him in getting rid of the obnoxious professor was the 
bad conduct of the students in regard to him. It was 
emphatically wrong for them to “ haze” an unpopular 
professor ; and Mr. Lowington was not willing to act 
under apparent compulsion. 

The school studies were continued as usual through 
the forenoon of Monday. After dinner, dressed in 
their best uniforms, with bag and blanket, the stu- 
dents were conveyed to the shore for their trip through 
Holland, which was to occupy three or four days. 
The first afternoon was to be occupied in exploring 
Rotterdam, and, as usual, Paul Kendall and Dr. Win- 
stock kept together. 

“ This is the Hoogstraat ,” said the doctor, when 
they reached the principal street of the city. 

“ Does that mean Hog Street ?” 

“ Not at all,” laughed Dr. Winstock. “ It means 
the High Street. It is situated on the top of an old 
27 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


3H 

dike or dam, built to keep the Maas from overflowing 
the country behind it. One of these canals is formed 
out of the River Rotte. This stream and this dam 
gave the name of Rotterdam to the place.” 

“Whose statue is that?” asked Paul, when they 
came to a wide bridge over a broad canal. 

“ That is the statue of Erasmus, who was born in 
Rotterdam.” 

“Never heard of him.” 

“ He was a noted theologian and classical scholar, 
who made his mark in the polemical discussions of 
Germany and Switzerland in the time of the Refor- 
mation. This is the Groote Markt , or market-place, 
of Rotterdam,” added Dr. Winstock, when they had 
crossed the bridge. 

It was a great square, in the middle of which the 
canal widened into a basin for the accommodation of 
the market boats, by which the meats and vegetables 
are brought from the country. There were plenty of 
dog teams passing in and out of this square, and at 
rest there, which amused the young Americans hugely. 
The vehicle — a little cart or wagon, sometimes large 
enough to contain four of the great polished brass 
milk-cans, holding from ten to twenty gallons, and 
sometimes no bigger than a baby carriage — was gen- 
erally in charge of a woman. In some of them the 
dog was regularly harnessed in a pair of shafts ; but 
in the larger ones there was a division of labor be- 
tween the driver and the animals. The woman held 
the shafts, while the dogs, from two to six in num- 
ber, were attached to various parts of the vehicle. If 
there were but two of them, they generally trotted 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 31*, 

under the wagon, being harnessed to the axletree •, if 
more than two, the others were hitched on ahead of 
her, and at each side of her. The dogs were of all 
sorts and sizes, and seemed to be patient and well 
trained in the discharge of their duty. In some in- 
stances, while the woman held the shaft, a stout man 
walked behind, with a stick in his hand, officiating as 
general manager of the team, including his “ vroiv” ! 

“ There’s a row ! ” shouted Paul, as they approached 
the banks of the canal. 

“ That’s not an uncommon scene in Holland,” re- 
plied the doctor, .laughing. 

One of the first-class dog teams had incautiously 
been conducted too near another team, reposing, after 
the labors of the day, on the verge of the canal. Some 
canine demonstration on the part of the idle dogs, 
doubtless, excited the ire of the travelling team, and, 
without asking the woman’s permission, the latter 
deserted the ranks, so far as their harness would per- 
mit, and “ pitched into” the others, which sprang to 
their feet, and met the assailants half way. All the 
dogs howled, growled, and barked vehemently, and 
in a moment the two teams were rolling upon the 
ground, entangled in their rigging, snapping, biting, 
and kicking, in mad fury. 

The woman seized a stick, and belabored the bel- 
ligerents with great vigor ; but the fight continued, in 
spite of her, until several women interfered, and 
dragged the cart of the idlers, dogs and all, out of the 
reach of the others. The driver, after severely whip- 
ping her charge, unsnarled their rigging, and went on 
her way. Paul had to stop and laugh frequently at 


3 l6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


these dog teams, the animals presented so many dif- 
ferent phases of character. Some of them howled oi 
barked as they trudged along; and many manifested 
a desire to make the acquaintance of other teams on 
their way, much to the annoyance of the driver, who 
would storm at them in Dutch, kick and whip them. 

Many of the men, women, and children wore sabots, 
or wooden shoes, which Paul compared to canal 
boats, and went clumping and clattering along the 
streets like champion clog-dancers. The Flemish cap, 
worn by some of .the peasant women, also amused 
Paul very much. From each side of the wearer’s 
head, near the eye, projected a brass ornament, in the 
shape of a spiral spring, but each circle diminishing 
in size till the wire ended in a point, like a gimlet. 

In the older parts of the city the tourists found brick 
buildings whose walls slant outwards, so that the eaves 
would project eighteen inches over the base, as farmers 
in New England sometimes build their corn-barns. 

Rotterdam contains about as many canals as streets, 
which are frequently crossed by draw-bridges. Some 
of these are handsome iron structures, revolving on 
a balance, so as to make a passage on each side 
when open. Others were raised by heavy frame- 
work overhead ; and in some of the bridges there was 
only an opening one or two feet wide, to permit the 
passing of the vessel’s masts. 

After examining the canals and bridges in this part 
of the city, Paul and the doctor walked to the church of 
St. Lawrence, which is noted for its great organ, ninety 
feet high, and containing sixty-five hundred pipes. 

“ Now, Paul, we will take a carriage and ride up 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 317 

to the park, and go from there to the railway station,” 
said the doctor, as they left the Groote Kerk. 

“What is that man eating?” asked Paul, as they 
passed through one of the dirtiest parts of the city, 
where, on the bank of the canal, a woman was stand- 
ing behind a table loaded down with a heap of shell- 
fish, just as they came from the mud. 

The customer was taking them from the shells, 
drinking at intervals from a cup. 

“They are a kind of mussel; I never had confi- 
dence enough to taste of them,” laughed the doctor. 
“ The condiments are in the cup, I suppose. Do you 
wish to try them ? ” 

“ No, I thank you ; my stomach is not lined with 
zinc, and such a vile mess as that would be too much 
for it. Those cakes look better,” added Paul, pointing 
to a stand where a man and woman were cooking 
waffles, or flapjacks, which were eaten by the pur- 
chasers in a neat little booth. 

“ Those are very nice,” said the doctor. “ We will 
try some of them. You never need have any suspicions 
of the neatness of these Dutch women.” 

They went into the booth, and were soon supplied 
with a couple of the cakes, hot from the furnace, and 
CJvered with powdered white sugar. Paul agreed 
that they were very nice. 

“ The signs amuse me quite as much as any thing 
else, and I am studying Dutch bj their aid,” said 
Paul, as they continued on their way. 

“ Read this, then,” added the doctor, handing him a 
yellow paper bag he picked up in the street, on which 
was a shopkeeper’s advertisement. 

27 * 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


318 

“ I can read some of it,” replied Paul ; and the 
reader may help him. 

£n lie ifflooriaan. 

Deze en meer andere soorten van 
TABAK, SNUIF, SIGAREN, KOFFIJ, 

THEE ENZ 
zijn te bekomen bij 
D. B. SCHRETLEN, 

Zandstraat, Wijk 5, No. 447, 
ROTTERDAM. 

“Tobacco, snuff, cigars, coffee — these are plain 
enough. What does ‘ Wijk 5 ’ mean?” 

“ That is a division or ward of the city, like E. C. 
and W. C., in London.” 

The carriage was obtained, and they rode to the 
park, which, however, had no particular attractions. 
With the exception of the canals, and the manners 
and customs of the people, there is little to see in Rot- 
terdam. On the way they met a funeral, the car- 
riages of which were peculiar ; and the driver of the 
hearse wore a black straw hat, with a brim more than 
a foot wide, and with great white bands at his neck. 

At five o’clock the students had all collected at the 
station of the Hollandsche Spoorweg, or Holland 
Railroad ; and in twenty minutes the train set them 
down at Delft, the port from which the Speedwell 
sailed with a portion of the Pilgrim Fathers of New 
England. The name of the town is derived from 
“ delven,” to dig. It contains twenty thousand inhab- 
itants, and was formerly noted for its pottery manufac- 
ture, which was called Delft ware, from this place. 













YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 319 


The party went immediately to the Prinsenhof \ 
now a barrack, which was the building in which the 
Prince of Orange was assassinated. The spot where 
the murder took place was pointed out. A descrip- 
tive stone in the wall records the event. From this 
place they passed on to the Old Church, nearly oppo- 
site, which^ has a leaning tower, and saw the tomb of 
Van Tromp, the great Dutch admiral, the hero of 
thirty-two sea-fights. In the New Church is the mon- 
ument of the Prince of Orange. His statue rests 
upon it ; and at the feet of the great man is repre- 
sented a little dog. The inscription was translated by 
Mr. Mapps, and the allusion to the dog afforded the 
professor an opportunity to tell a story. 

“ While the prince was asleep in his camp, near 
Mechlin, the Spaniards attempted to murder him,” 
said he, “ and would probably have succeeded had 
it not been for this little dog. As the assassins ap- 
proached the tent, the dog discovered them, and 
jumped upon his master’s bed, barking furiously, and 
tugging at the clothing with his feet and teeth. The 
prince was awakened, and succeeded in making his 
escape. When his master was killed, twelve years 
later, this dog pined away and died.” 

“ Perhaps he died of old age,” suggested one of the 
students. 

“ The story is, that he refused to eat from grief. I 
cannot vouch for it ; but he was a good dog, and de- 
serves the mention made of him on the tomb. This 
church contains the burial-vaults of the present royal 
family of Holland.” 

At six o’clock the train was off for The Hague, and 


}20 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


arrived there in fifteen minutes. On the way, the spire 
of the church at Ryswick, where the treaty of 1697^ 
mentioned in all the school histories, was framed, was 
pointed out to the students. Accommodations had been 
engaged in the city for the company and they remained 
here over night. 

The Hague, or, as the Dutch call it, S' Gravenhage, 
and the French La Haye, is the capital, and has a popu 
lation of eighty one thousand. Though it was the resi- 
dence of the stadtholders in former times, it was only 
a small village, and its notable features are of modern 
origin. Barneveldt was executed and the De Witts mur- 
dered here. The Picture Gallery and the Muesum were 
specially opened for the young Americans. The works 
of art were hastily viewed, and the students passed 
into the Cabinet of Curiosities, of which there is a 
vast collection, including an immense number of dresses, 
implements, and models illustrating life in Japan and in 
China. 

Among the historical relics are the armor worn by 
the admirals De Ruiter and Van Tromp ; the portrait 
and sword of Van Speyk, who blew up his vessel on 
the Scheldt ; a part of the bed of . Czar Peter the 
Great, on which he slept while working at ship-build- 
ing ; the last shirt and waistcoat worn by William III. 
of England ; the dress in which the Prince of Orange 
was murdered ; the pistol of the assassin, with two of 
the bullets; a model of Peter’s cabin at Zaandam, 01 
Sardam, and many other objects of interest which 
seemed to bring the distant past before the eye of the 
beholders. 

Early ^he next morning the students were roaming 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 32: 

at will through the city, anxious to see what they 
could of its handsome streets, the principal of which 
is the Voorhout, lined with trees, and flanked with 
splendid edifices. After breakfast the train bore them 
on to Leyden. On the way, at the suggestion of Mr. 
Fluxion, the train, which was a special, was stopped, 
and the students were allowed half an hour to explore 
some beautiful gardens which abounded in this vicin- 
ity. Many of them belonged to the country seats of 
wealthy gentlemen, and were as magnificent as fairy- 
land itself. 

But what pleased Paul more than the gardens of 
rich men, was an opportunity to visit the house and 
grounds of a citizen in humbler life. Mr. Fluxion 
asked the permission, which was readily granted. 

“ You needn’t take your shoes off here, as you must 
in some parts of Holland, before you enter a house ; 
but you must wipe them very carefully,” said the vice- 
principal. “ The greatest sin against a Dutch house- 
wife is to carry any dirt into her premises.” 

Paul made sure that not a particle of dust clung to 
his feet, and entered the cottage. It was plainly fur- 
nished ; but everything was as clean, and white, and 
neat as though the room had been the interior of the 
upper bureau drawer. Dr. Winstock ventured the 
remark, that Dutch husbands must be the most miser- 
able men in the world, since it could not but be pain- 
ful to be so excruciatingly nice. 

The proprietor of the house had about half an acre 
of land, which constituted his garden. It was laid 
out with winding walks and fanciful plats of ground, 
filled with the richest-hued flowers. It contained a 


3 22 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


pond and a canal, on a small scale ; for a Dutchman 
would not be at home without a water prospect, even 
if it were only in miniature. At the end of the gar- 
den, overlooking the pond, there was a grotesque little 
summer house, large enough to accommodate the pro- 
prietor and his family. Here, of a summer afternoon, 
he smoked his pipe, drank his tea, coffee, or beer, 
while his wife plied her needle, and the children 
played at the door. 

“What is that inscription on the house?” asked 
Paul, as they approached the building. 

“ Mijn genegenheid is voldatn ,” replied Mr. Flux- 
ion. 

“ Exactly so ! I understand that, and those are my 
sentiments,” laughed Paul ; “ but what does it all 
mean ? ” 

“ ‘ Mj desire is satisfied,’ ” replied the vice-principal. 

“ He is a happy man if that is so,” added the doctor. 

“ Many of the Dutch label their garden houses with 
a sentiment like that,” continued Mr. Fluxion. “ I 
have seen one somewhere which smacks of Yankee 
slang — ‘ Niet zoo kwaalijk .’ ” 

“ I sho- i say that was slang,” interposed Paul. 

“ It means, ‘ Not so bad.’ ” 

“ Well, it isn’t so bad, after all,” added the doctor, 
glancing back at the “ zomerhuis ,” as they retired, 
with many thanks to the proprietor for the privilege 
granted to them. 

The hoarse croaking of the locomotive whistle, 
which appeared to have a cold in its head, drummed 
the students together again, and the train pro- 
ceeded. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 323 

“ This is the Rhine,” said the doctor, as they went 
over a bridge. 

“ The Rhine ! ” exclaimed Paul, jumping out of his 
seat. “Why, it isn’t anything!” 

“ That is true ; but you must remember that this is 
the old Rhine, — the part which was dug out, robbed 
of the burden of its waters by the Yssel, the Leek, and 
the Waal. The Rhine of Germany is quite another 
affair. The mouth of the Rhine is eight miles below 
Leyden. It was closed for a thousand years.” 

“What became of its waters? They must have 
gone somewhere,” said Paul. 

“ They disposed of themselves in various small 
streams, and worked their way to the ocean, or soaked 
into the sands. The mouth of the river was opened 
in 1809, by an engineer, under the direction of Louis 
Napoleon, King of Holland. But the ocean at high 
tide was higher than the river, and to prevent the sea 
from flowing back into the country and disturbing the 
system of dikes, immense gates were made in the 
sluiceways constructed for the purpose. When the 
tide comes in, these gates are shut. At low tide 
they are opened to let the water out. Indeed, this 
is true of all the canals, which are provided with 
gates at each end, like a dock. The dikes at the 
mouth of the Rhine are stupendous works ; and as 
the foundation is nothing but sand, they are built on 
piles, and the face of them is of stone. This is 
Leyden.” 

“ What is there here?” asked Paul, as they got out 
of the carriage. 


PIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


3 2 4 

“ It has about the same sights as Deift, and also a 
celebrated university ; but it is more noted for its 
siege by the Spaniards, in 1574, than for anything else. 
Doubtless Mr. Mapps will fight the battle over 
again.” 

Of course the professor of geography and history 
could not lose such a glorious opportunity, and in 
the Stadhuis , where the picture of Peter Vanderwerf, 
the burgomaster who so bravely defended the place 
in the memorable seige, was pointed out, he took 
advantage of the moment. 

“ The city had held out four months,” said he, after 
introducing the topic, “ when the worst came. The 
Prince of Orange had promised to assist the people 
by supplying them with food ; but so close was the 
blockade of the place by the Spaniards, that it was 
impossible to do so. They were reduced to the very 
verge of starvation. Dogs, cats, rats, horses, were 
greedily eaten. Six thousand of the people died of 
pestilence, which came with the famine, and there 
was hardly force enough to bury the dead. Though 
pressed and threatened by the citizens, the inflexible 
burgomaster refused to surrender the town. At last 
a couple of carrier pigeons flew into the city, which 
brought the intelligence that the prince had cut the 
dikes, and sent Admiral Boiset to their relief when 
the rising waters should drive the Spaniards away. 
But the waters did not rise high enough to enable the 
admiral to approach, and the people prayed to Heaven 
for help. It came. A storm and a gale forced the 
waters far up the river to the walls of Leyden. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 325 

Boiset, with eight hundred wild Zealarujers, fought 
their way through the Spaniards, perched in the trees, 
in boats, or in such places above the water as they 
could find, and made his way into the town. A 
thousand of the enemy were drowned. Leyden was 
saved, and the people celebrate the day of their 
deliverance up to the present time. 

“ As a reward for their bravery and dogged perse- 
verance, the prince gave them the choice of a univer- 
sity or exemption from a portion of their taxes. They 
chose the former, and the University of Leyden was 
the result.” 

After a hasty walk to a few of the points of interest 
in the town, the journey was resumed, and in twenty 
minutes the party was set down in Harlem. In the 
Groote Kerk of St. Bavon, they listened to the playing 
of another great organ, including imitations of bells, 
and the vox humana , or “ nux vomica ,” as some of 
the students persisted in calling it. Harlem is famous 
for its hyacinths and tulips, the passion for which grew 
out of the great tulip mania , two hundred years ago, 
when single cuttings of these bulbs were sold for four 
thousand florins, and even at higher prices. They are 
raised not only in gardens, but in fields hundreds of 
acres in extent ; for they are a very important article 
of commerce, the gardens of Europe being supplied 
from this vicinity. 

Harlem resisted the Spaniards with the same vigor 
and determination that distinguished Leyden, though 
with a less fortunate result ; and Mr. Mapps was too 
glad to tell the exciting story. The town held out till 


326 


DIKES AND DITCHES, 


starvation was inevitable, when it was decided by the 
brave defenders to form in a body around their women 
and children, and fight their way through the enemy. 
The Spaniards, hearing of this scheme, sent in a flag 
of truce, offering pardon and freedom, if the town and 
fifty-seven of the chief citizens should be given up. 
This number of the principal men volunteered to be the 
sacrifice, and the terms were accepted ; but the blood- 
thirsty Duke of Alva, having first murdered the 
fifty-seven citizens, entered upon an indiscriminate 
massacre of the people, of whom two thousand 
were slain. When the executioners were weary 
with the slaughter, the victims were bound together 
in couples, and thrown into the Lake of Harlem. 
Four years later, the town fell into the hands of the 
Dutch again. 

After the professor had finished the siege of Har- 
lem, the party walked along the Spaarne to the 
machinery used for draining the low land formerly 
covered by the lake. This territory, three hundred 
years ago, was dry land ; but an inundation gave it 
over to the dominion of the sea. About twenty-five 
years ago, the States General of Holland undertook to 
drain it, by forming a double dike and canal entirely 
around the district, thirty-three miles in circumfer- 
ence, and containing forty-five thousand acres. Three 
huge systems of pumps were erected, to be worked 
by steam, and the task of discharging an average 
depth of thirteen feet of water was begun. After four 
years’ pumping, the lake was dried up, and the land 
was sold at the rate of about eighty-five dollars an acre. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 327 

The machinery is still required to keep the water 
down. One engine works eleven pumps, with a lift 
of thirteen feet, discharging sixty-three tons of water 
at a stroke. 

The travellers took their places in the train, and in 
a few minutes were conveyed over the causeways into 
Amsterdam, in season for the two o’clock dinner. 


328 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


CHAPTER XX, 


ADIEU TO HOLLAND AND PROFESSOR HAMBLIN. 

FTER dinner the party, in charge of a couple 



of the city officials, who had given them a wel- 
come, went to the Palace, the noblest building in 
Amsterdam. It rests upon nearly fourteen thousand 
piles, driven seventy feet through the mud to “ hard 
pan.” During the reign of King Louis, it was his 
residence, and the other sovereigns of Holland used 
it when they visited the city. Its remarkable feature 
is an imposing hall, one hundred and twenty feet long, 
fifty-seven feet wide, and one hundred feet high. The 
interior is lined with Italian marble, and adorned with 
works of art. 

“Young gentlemen,” said Mr. Mapps, taking posi- 
tion in this great hall, “ Amsterdam contains a popu- 
lation of two hundred and sixty-eight thousand. In 
shape, it forms rather more than the plane of a half 
circle, the circumference being composed of the walls 
of the city, outside of which is an immense canal. 
Inside of the walls there aie four principal canals, 
extending nearly around the city. Take the trans- 
verse section of the trunk of a chestnut tree, divide 
it, with the grain of the wood, into two equal parts, 
and th** of one of them will give you the plane of 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 329 

the half circle. The layers of the log, formed by each 
year’s growth, would indicate the canals and the inter- 
vening spaces covered with buildings. The heart of 
the city, however, is irregular. 

“ Each of these canals is situated in the centre of a 
broad street. The Keizers Gracht, or Canal, is one 
hundred and forty feet wide. They are not circular, 
but form the sides of an irregular decagon. Other 
canals intersect the principal ones, so that all parts 
of the city may be visited in boats or vessels. The 
River Amstel flows through the town by a winding 
course ; and Amsterdam is derived from the name of 
this stream and the dam built over it, in former days, 
on the spot where this edifice is located. 

“ The Y, or the Ij, is an arm of the Zuyder Zee, 
and forms the diameter of the half circle ; but it is 
bent in the shape of a bow. The water is admitted 
to the canals by the Amstel. At low tide the water 
in the Zuyder Zee is only six or seven inches below 
the level of this river, and great difficulty is expe- 
rienced in obtaining a circulation of water in the 
canals, where it stagnates, and affects the health of 
the city. All the canals and openings from the sea 
are protected by flood-gates and sluices. The canals 
which cut up the city divide it into no less than 
ninety islands, connected by two hundred and fifty 
bridges. 

“ The entire town, its sluices, and even some of its 
canals, are built upon piles ; for the soil beneath is 
nothing but loose sand and bog mud. In 1822 a vast 
warehouse sunk down into the mud, on account of the 
weight of grain stored in it. Amsterdam is not only 
28* 


33 ° 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


in peril from the sea around it, but there is danger 
that the bottom may drop out. 

“ In the Spanish war, of which I have had so much 
to say since we entered Holland, Amsterdam was held 
by the Duke of Alva, and, with this city as the base 
of operations, he intended to conquer the country. 
The siege of Harlem was conducted from this di- 
rection. 

“ A small fleet of Dutch armed vessels was frozen 
up near this city, and a force was sent to capture them 
by the Spanish commander. The crews opened a wide 
trench in the ice around their vessels, and, putting on 
their skates as the besiegers approached, advanced to 
give them battle. The Dutchmen, perfectly at home 
on skates, out-manoeuvred and beat the Spaniards, who 
left several hundred of their dead on the ice. The 
duke was astonished ; but he was a prudent man, 
and ordered seven thousand pairs of skates, upon 
which his troops were trained to perform military 
movements.” 

“ That was a big thing on ice,” said one of the 
6tudents, as the lecture closed. 

In the course of the day the party visited the Oude 
Kerk , or Old Church, containing “ a big organ,” the 
Niewe Kcrk , which has monuments to De Ruiter, 
Van Speyk, and others. 

“You will not have an opportunity to go to church 
in Holland, Paul,” said the doctor. 

“ No, sir ; I suppose we sail for Havre this week.” 

“ Most of the people go to church ; but they do not 
observe the Sabbath very rigidly. Gentlemen sit with 
their hats on during the service, or take them off, as 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 33 1 

they please. Amsterdam is one of the most charita- 
ble cities in the world, and is noted for its almshouses, 
asylums, hospitals. In one orphan asylum there are 
seven or eight hundred boys and girls, who are kept 
there till they are twenty years old, and then sent out 
with a good trade. They wear a peculiar dress, to 
prevent them from being admitted to theatres, rum- 
shops, and other improper places ; for the keepers 
of these establishments are severely punished if they 
permit any of the children of the public charitable 
institutions to enter their places. A contribution for 
the poor is taken up every Sunday in the churches by 
the deacons, who use a thing like a shrimp-net with 
a long handle, having a little bell for the benefit of 
those who wish to look the other way when it is thrust 
in their faces.” 

“ That’s a good idea ; but, I suppose, the Dutch 
have invented some small coin for these occasions,” 
laughed Paul. 

“ A stiver, or five Dutch cents, equal to less than 
two of our cents, is small enough. There are a great 
many poor people in Amsterdam who live entirely in 
cellars. As you have seen, a great many families live 
in vessels, keeping a pig, hens, and ducks on board, 
and sometimes even have a little garden on deck. 
When the Dutchman gets married and sets up in 
life, he obtains a small boat of from one to three 
tons, and goes to housekeeping on board. If they 
prosper, they buy a bigger craft ; but his home, his 
wife, and children are on the water.” 

The dike which surrounds Amsterdam has been 
planted with trees, and converted into boulevards. 


332 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


There were formerly twenty-six bastions upon it, con 
stituting the fortifications of the city ; but, being no 
longer useful for defence, windmills have been erected 
upon them, to grind the grain for the city. The four 
streets bordering the principal canals are hardly to be 
surpassed in Europe. The buildings, which are most- 
ly of brick, are unique, with fantastic gables and pro- 
jecting eaves. Many of the streets are lined with trees 
on the banks of the canals. On the whole, the students 
were more interested in Amsterdam than in any other 
city they had visited, partly, perhaps, on account of its 
oddity. As long as there was light to see, they con- 
tinued their rambles, and then retired early, in order 
to be prepared for a fresh start the next day. 

At five o’clock in the morning the party took a 
steamer for Zaandam, or Sardam. Leaving the shore, 
they had a fine view of the city. The harbor is en- 
closed by two rows of piles, with occasional openings 
to admit the passage of vessels, which are closed at 
night with booms armed with iron spikes. In various 
parts of the Ij were seen little pavilions, built upon 
piers, which are the summer houses of wealthy citizens, 
who own pleasure-boats, and repair in them to these 
cosy little temples, to drink wine and coffee and smoke 
their pipes. 

At Sardam the curious students visited the cottage 
of Peter the Great, in which he lived while he worked 
as a shipwright. The shanty is of rough plank, and 
cants over on one side ; but it was surrounded by 
another building by the Queen of Holland, to protect 
it from further decay. It contains but two rooms, one 
above the other, the former reached only by a ladder. 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 333 

Alexander of Russia placed over the chimney-piece 
a marble slab bearing the inscription, “ Nothing is 
too small for a great man.” The walls of both rooms 
are covered with the autographs of visitors, including 
that of the Emperor of Russia. 

From this point the tourists were conveyed by the 
steamer to Waterland, from which they were to pro- 
ceed by trekschuit to Broek. This peculiar craft is a 
kind of drag-boat, much used for passengers and light 
freight on the canals of Holland. It is a long, narrow 
barge, nearly the whole of which is taken up by a low 
cabin. Above it is the hurricane deck, provided with 
a railing and benches to sit upon. At each end is a 
flight of stairs, by which the main deck is reached 
and the cabins entered. The ruim , or forward cabin, 
occupying the greater part of the space, is appropri- 
ated to the common people, while the roej \ or after- 
cabin, is for the better class ; but as genteel people 
seldom patronize the trekschuit , this apartment is 
very small. It was drawn by horses, attached to a 
long rope made fast to the pole or mast, near the bow. 
Like everything Dutch, the boat was fitted up very 
neatly, and the students were much interested in ex- 
ploring it. 

“ Here we are, all on the raging canal ! ” said Ter- 
rill to his captain, as the team started. “ If it comes 
on to blow, we can take a reef in the forward horse.” 

“ Or in the het jagertje ,” laughed Paul, who had 
been talking with Mr. Fluxion. 

“ We’ll take a reef in that now. Don’t your teeth 
ache, captain ? ” 

“ No ; that’s the boy that rides one of the horses.” 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


334 


The canal was filled with boats loaded with market 
produce, drawn by men and women harnessed like 
mules to the tow-ropes. Woman’s rights seemed to 
be particularly recognized in this part of Holland, for 
females are harnessed to the boats like horses, enjoy- 
ing the same rights as the “ lords of creation.” The 
houses on the way were mostly cottages, whose steep 
roofs were often twice the height of the walls. The 
stork, which the people cherish with a kind of super- 
stitious reverence, was occasionally seen, but not so 
frequently as in the vicinity of The Hague, where he 
has a nest on the roof in 3 large proportion of the 
houses. 

The boys were much interested in the navigation 
of the trekschuit. Meeting another boat, the steers- 
man shouted “Huy!” indicating that the other craft 
was to go to the right. When the tow-boy of the ap- 
proaching boat reached a certain point, he stopped his 
team, and the trekschuit horses passed over it, as the 
rope slacked. He halted again to loose the rope for 
the barge to pass over. Neither boat was stopped by 
the operation. At the many bridges the rope was cast 
off, and made fast again, without any delay. 

An hour and a half brought them to Broek, the 
paradise of Dutch neatness. It is a village of eight 
■hundred people, most of whom have “ made their 
pile ” and retired from business. Neatness is carried 
to lunacy here, for no one is permitted to enter a house 
without taking off his shoes. The narrow lanes and 
passages which serve as avenues are paved with brick, 
or with tiles of different colors, arranged in fantastic 
figures, and some are covered with sand and sea-shells, 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 335 

made up into patterns. Strangers are warned not to 
ride through the place; they must walk, leading the 
horse. The houses are mostly of wood, gaudily 
painted ; the roofs are covered with glazed tile of 
various hues. 

The cow-stables of the dairy farms are better tjhan 
the houses of most of the poorer classes of Europe, 
having tiled floors, with everything “ polished off” 
and sandpapered as nicely as though they were in- 
tended for drawing-rooms. Over each stall is a hook, 
by which the cow’s tail is fastened up, so as to keep 
her neat and clean. 

The students continued on their way from Breck to 
Alkmar, — which sustained a siege, and successfully 
resisted the Spaniards, — and thence to The Holder, 
a town of twelve thousand inhabitants, opposite the 
Texel. The great ship canal to Amsterdam com- 
mences at this point, which is the only place on the 
coast of Holland where the deep water extends up to 
the shore, the tide rushing through from the Zuyder 
Zee keeping the passage open. The party had an 
opportunity to examine the mighty sluices and gates, 
and to observe the stupendous dikes, before describee 
by Mr. Mapps. They visited the fortress erected by 
Napoleon with the intention of making The Helder 
the Gibraltar of the North. 

On Thursday morning the tourists took the steamer, 
through the Great Canal, to Amsterdam. Being 
obliged to wait an hour for the train to Utrecht, 
Paul visited one of the “ diamond mills ” of the city 
with Mr. Fluxion. About five hundred men were 
employed in the establishment, and, as the business 


336 DIKES AND DITCHES, OH 

is exclusively in the hands of the Jews, the mills are 
closed on Saturday, and work on Sunday. The art 
of cutting and polishing diamonds was for a long 
period exclusively in the hands of the Jews of Ant- 
werp and Amsterdam. There are quite a number of 
these manufactories in the city at the present time. 
The machinery is operated by steam, turning wheels 
for polishing the precious stones, and propelling the 
wire saws for cutting them. 

Diamond dust is the only substance with which an 
impression can be produced upon the hard stones, and 
they are polished by metal plates covered with this 
dust, and revolving with inconceivable rapidity. The 
saw is a very fine wire, to which the dust is affixed. 
This process appears to be the origin of the adage 
“ diamond cut diamond.” Before the fifteenth cen- 
tury, diamonds were worn in their natural state, and 
the art of cutting and polishing them was discovered 
by a native of Bruges. 

The journey of the students was continued by rail- 
way to Utrecht. Approaching this city, the country 
assumed a different aspect, presenting occasional un- 
dulations, while in the town itself there is quite a slope 
down to the River Rhine, on which it is located. The 
treaty of Utrecht, which settled the peace of Europe 
after the war of the Spanish succession, was signed 
at the house of the British minister ; but it has since 
been pulled down. The principal object of interest 
in the city is the tower of the Cathedral of St. Martin, 
which is three hundred and twenty-one feet high, and 
commands a view of nearly the whole of Holland and 
a portion of Belgium. The sexton has his residence 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 337 


more than a hundred and fifty feet above terra Jirma , 
where his family are domiciled, and where his chil- 
dren were born. Doubtless they will be regarded as 
persons of high birth. 

At five o’clock in the afternoon, the wear}' travellers 
reached the vessels of the squadron. Holland “ was 
done,” and the excitement was ended. Many of them 
were tired out and cross, and it was a relief to know 
that the squadron would go to sea the next morning. 
During the rapid run through Holland, Wilton and 
Perth had found abundant opportunities to discuss 
their mischievous scheme of running away with the 
Josephine. They had so contrived it that eight of 
the Knights of the Golden Fleece had occupied a 
compartment by themselves in the railway carriages. 
As the squadron would arrive at Havre on Friday or 
Saturday, ho time was to be lost in arranging the de- 
tails of the precious scheme, which had been fully 
explained and assented to by the confederates. 

The first point to be gained was to “ cut up,” so that 
the whole twenty-six Knights should be condemned 
to imprisonment on board the ship, while the rest of 
the students, with the instructors, went to Paris. Mr. 
Hamblin was still the centre of all their hopes in this 
direction ; for hazing him would enable them to kill 
two birds with one stone. It was a great satisfaction 
to annoy him, independently of the result to be gained. 
Wilton proposed to “ keelhaul” him. This was a bar- 
barous punishment, formerly in use in the English and 
Dutch navies, and consisted in dragging the culprit 
under the keel of the vessel by ropes attached to the 
opposite yard-arms. Perth declared that this was 
29 


33 s 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


utterly impracticable, and a third suggested that it 
was only necessary to “talk” the matter in order to 
bi'ing down the punishment upon their anxious 
heads. Monroe, who always adopted moderate coun- 
sels, thought it would be just as well to frighten the 
old gentleman out of his wits. Indeed, all, except 
Wilton, protested against inflicting any serious injury 
upon him. A ducking, or something of that kind, 
would do him no harm ; but they did not wish to 
hurt, only to annoy, him. 

After supper the students felt a little brighter. 
Mr. Hamblin was pacing the deck, as he always 
did towards evening, and Perth drummed together his 
forces to play the first act in the drama. The names 
of the twenty-six Knights had been written down on 
a sheet of paper, and a dozen of them took position 
in the waist, with their backs to the professor. Scarce- 
ly had the actors taken their places before the Jose- 
phine’s gig came alongside with Captain Kendall, 
who visited the ship to receive his instructions from 
the principal for the next day. 

Paul stepped upon deck ; but, perceiving that Mr. 
Lowington was engaged in an earnest conversation 
with Dr. Winstock, he did not interrupt him, but 
paused in the waist. Of course the conspirators sus- 
pended operations, and Paul spent the time he was 
waiting in conversation with them about the wonders 
of Holland. As he stood there, Mr. Hamblin cast 
frequent glances at him, and brooded heavily over 
the indignities which had been heaped upon his 
learned head by the young commander, as he be- 
lieved. Probably the current of his thoughts would 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 339 

have assumed a different direction if he had been 
aware that the principal and the surgeon were dis- 
cussing the best means of “letting him down easily.” 

Mr. Lowington at last discovered that Paul was 
waiting for him, and the difficult subject was deferred. 
The captain of the Josephine went below with the 
principal, and the conspirators began to discuss in a 
very unguarded manner the process of keelhauling 
the obnoxious professor. As the learned gentleman 
passed the group, he could not help bearing his name 
mentioned. The boys soon became very earnest in 
their manner. They had seated themselves under the 
lee of the hatch, and did not appear to notice the fact 
that Mr. Hamblin was passing on the other side of it 
at intervals. 

“ We’ll keelhaul him,” said Wilson ; and the savant 
distinctly heard the remark, though he did not know 
what it meant ; only that it was some trick to be played 
off upon him. 

“ If he didn’t hear that, he’s deaf as a post,” added 
Perth, as the professor passed on. 

“ He’ll leave the ship as soon as we have keelhauled 
him,” was the next remark which Mr. Hamblin heard. 

Of course this meant himself ; and he paused when 
he had satisfied himself that he was not observed. As 
this was just what the conspirators wanted, they re- 
vealed their wicked scheme fully, though with some 
appearance of concealment. 

“ Here are the names of all the fellows who are to 
take part in the operation,” said Perth, flourishing the 
paper. “ The fellows with a cross against their names 
are to throw the old fellow down ; those with a dash 


34 ° 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OK 


are to man the reef-pendants; those with a wave lina 
are to make fast to him — ” 

That was all. Mr. Hamblin made a plunge into 
the midst of the young rascals, and snatched the paper 
from the hands of the leader. The conspirators sprung 
to their feet, and nothing could exceed the consterna- 
tion depicted upon their faces. They stood aghast, 
horrified, confounded. 

“ It was only a joke, sir,” stammered Perth, as the 
professor, with trembling hands and quivering lips, 
gazed at the paper, reading the names, and noting 
the signs against them. 

“ You villains, you ! ” gasped he. “ Keelhaul me 
— will you?” 

“ It was only in fun, sir. We didn’t mean to do it, 
sir,” added Wilton. 

Mr. Hamblin did not wait to hear any more. He 
rushed aft, rushed down the companion-way, rushed 
into the main cabin, where the principal was just dis- 
missing Paul. 

“ They are going to keelhaul me, next, Mr. Low- 
ington ! ” exclaimed the learned gentleman, savagely. 

“ Pray, what is the trouble, Mr. Hamblin?” asked 
the principal, mildly. 

The professor explained, exhibiting the list of names 
in evidence of his assertion. Mr. Lowineton was 

o 

sceptical. It was not possible that the boys could en- 
tertain such a monstrous proposition as that of keel- 
hauling a learned professor. 

“ But I heard the plan myself, sir,” persisted Mr. 
Hamblin. “ I don’t know what keelhauling is, but 
that is the expression the scoundrels used.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 34 1 

Mr. Lowington explained what it meant ; and the 
savant , without considering the practicability or the 
possibility of subjecting him to such an operation, was 
filled with rage and horror. The principal went on 
deck, and from the paper taken from Perth called the 
roll of the conspirators, summoning them to the main* 
mast. 

“ If you have no further instructions for me, sir, I 
will return to the Josephine,” said Paul, touching his 
cap to the principal. 

“ Mr. Lowington, Kendall is concerned in this af- 
fair,” interposed the professor, violently. 

“ I, sir ! ” exclaimed Paul, confounded by the charge. 

“ Pie is, sir ; and I can prove it,” protested Mr. 
Hamblin, whose wrath had almost reached the boiling 
point. 

“ You can return to the Josephine, Captain Ken- 
dall,” added Mr. Lowington, in hisquiet, decisive tone. 

“ Mr. Lowington, I protest — ” 

“ Mr. Hamblin,” interposed the principal, sharply, 
“I will thank you to accompany me to the cabin;” 
and, turning, he walked to the companion-way, fol- 
lowed by the professor. 

“ I wish to say, Mr. Lowington, that I am not mis- 
taken in regard to Kendall,” said the angry instructor, 
as they entered the main cabin. 

“ Without a doubt, you are mistaken, sir.” 

“ No, sir ; I am not. When he came on deck, he 
went immediately to that group of bad boys who were 
plotting to keelhaul me, and had a long conversation 
with them. I watched him, sir. My eye was hardly 
29 * 


342 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


off him a moment. I was looking for something of 
this kind.” 

“ And you found it.” 

“ Yes, sir ; I did.” 

“ When people are looking for faults and errors in 
others, they usually find them,” added the principal, 
significantly. “ But I did not invite you to the cabin 
to consider that matter.” 

“ It seems to me this matter is properly the subject 
for discussion at the present time,” replied the pro- 
fessor, who thought the principal’s ways were past 
finding out. 

“No; there is a subject of more importance than 
that, which must be attended to first. I find it neces- 
sary to say that I am ready to accept your resignation 
of the situation you fill.” 

“ My resignation, sir ! ” exclaimed Mr. Hamblin, 
taken all aback by this unexpected announcement. 

“ Your resignation, sir.” 

“ This is very remarkable conduct on your part, 
sir.” 

“ On board of the Josephine, in the presence of the 
officers and crew, you protested against the action of 
Captain Kendall. When I have called a large number 
of the students to the mainmast for discipline, you pro- 
test against my action. I have to say, sir,, that disci- 
pline, under these circumstances, is impossible.” 

“Am I to understand that you discharge me, Mr. 
Lowington?” demanded the professor. 

“ I intimated that I was ready to accept your resig- 
nation.” 

“Well, sir, I am not ready to offer my resignation.” 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 343 

“ Then yon compel me to take the next step. I 
object to your remaining on board another day.” 

“ I was engaged for a year.” 

“ With the proviso that we were mutually satisfied. 
A- fortnight ago you tendered your resignation, with- 
out regard to the engagement. If I had understood 
your relations with the students as well then as I do 
now, I should have accepted it.” 

Mr. Hamblin began to “ subside.” He had pretty 
thoroughly convinced himself that the institution could 
not be carried on without him ; and, since the princi- 
pal had once objected to accepting his resignation, he 
had felt that his position was secure. While he was 
considering the matter, Mr. Lowington went on deck, 
and investigated the plot to keelhaul the professor. 
The conspirators had talked over the matter during 
his absence, and had come to the conclusion that the 
truth would serve them best. They were shrewd 
enough to see that there was a rupture between the 
principal and the savant. 

Perth, as spokesman for the party, confessed that 
they knew Mr. Hamblin was listening to them ; that 
they intended he should hear the plot, which they had 
not designed to execute ; that it was only a trick to 
annoy him. 

“Was Captain Kendall concerned in it?” asked 
Mr. Lowington. 

“ No, sir,” shouted the whole party. 

“ What were you talking about while he was with 
you ? ” 

“About Holland, and what we had seen on our 


344 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


trip. You were speaking with Dr. W instock, and 
he was waiting to see you,” replied Perth. 

The principal lectured them severely, and in earnest, 
for their misconduct ; but he did not give them the 
coveted punishment of dooming them to remain on 
board while the rest of the students visited Paris. 
He gave them bad marks enough to spoil all their 
chances, if they had any, of promotion, and the choice 
of desirable berths when the crew should be reorgan- 
ized at the beginning of the next quarter, which would 
be in one month. He added that he should preserve 
the list of names, and that the conduct of the party in 
the future would be closely observed. 

“We were stupid,” whispered Perth to Wilton, as 
the principal retired. “ We have given him a listx>f 
all the Knights.” 

“ And he hasn’t stopped our liberty,” replied Wilton, 
in disgust. 

** No matter ; we must keep still, and fight for 
chances.” 

When Mr. Lowington returned to the cabin, the 
professor was as cool as an iceberg ; but the decision 
had been made, and it could not be reversed. The 
principal reviewed Mr. Hamblin’s connection with 
the squadron from the beginning, and commented on 
his conduct in the consort and in the ship. It was 
plain speech on both sides ; but the result remained 
unchanged. 

Professor Hamblin is not a myth. He had no sym- 
pathy with the students, and, being arbitrary, tyran- 
nical, and unjust, they “ hated him with a perfect 
hatred.” It was certainly best that he should go ; 


YOUNG AMERICA IN HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. 345 

for in whatever vessel he was, he kept it in a turmoil. 
Mr. Lowington paid him his salary for a year, and 
enough in addition to defray the expenses of his return 
to the United States. 

The next morning the signal for sailing was hoisted 
on board of the Young America, and the pilots came 
on board. The students were bright and fresh, and 
having seen the dikes and ditches of Holland, they 
were rather anxious to escape from its muddy waters 
and its monotonous plains. In fact, they sighed for 
another taste of blue water and the fresh sea air. 

“ All the barge’s crew on deck, ahoy ! ” piped the 
boatswain, at the order of the first lieutenant. 

The boat’s crew repaired to their stations on the 
quarter, wondering what was to be done next. 

The ship’s company, who were waiting for the 
order to weigh anchor, were vexed at the delay which 
the trip of the boat to the shore indicated, and waited 
impatiently to learn what was going to happen. One 
of the stewards brought up Mr. Hamblin’s trunk, and 
presently the professor himself appeared with his 
overcoat on his arm, and his cane and umbrella in 
his hand. There was a decided sensation among 
the crew. The barge was lowered and placed in 
charge of the third lieutenant. Mr. Hamblin bowed 
stiffly and coldly to the other professors, and followed 
his baggage into the boat, taking no notice whatever 
of any of the students. 

The sensation grew upon the boys as the boat 
pushed off' and appeared beyond the ship’s side. It 
was a delightful picture to them — the obnoxious pro- 
fessor seated in the stern sheets, with his trunk before 

l 1 


34 6 


DIKES AND DITCHES, OR 


him. It was emblematic of the final separation. The 
enthusiasm of the moment could not be repressed ; and 
before the principal could interfere, it had vented itself 
in three tremendous and hearty cheers. Mr. Lowing- 
ton was vexed, but the deed was done. 

The barge passed within a short distance of the 
Josephine, and her crew, seeing the trunk and the 
professor, understood the cheers, and repeated them 
with all the vigor of their lungs. It was impudent, 
disrespectful, and naughty ; but the same students, in 
both vessels, would have wept over the departure of 
any other of the professors. 

The boat returned, the sails were cast loose, the 
anchor weighed, and in due time both vessels were 
standing down the river. At noon the pilots were 
discharged, off the Hock of Holland. 

“ South-west by west,” said the first master of the 
ship, giving out the course to the quartermaster, who 
was conning the wheel. 

There was only a lazy breeze in the German Ocean, 
and the squadron rolled slowly along towards the 
Straits of Dover. The watch below were at their 
studies in the steerages, while the students on deck 
were thinking of Paris, and the new scenes which 
were to be presented to them in the countries they 
were next to visit. Their experience during the 
following month, on ship and shore, including the 
runaway cruise of the Josephine, will be narrated in 
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